Phantasm Masquerade
by mewmaster93
Summary: The last part of the Masquerade trilogy sees Kokoro going around Gensokyo to make amends for the trouble she caused back in the first story. But once more she has to balance time with her friends and family, along with becoming conflicted with a desire to be a hero. Then there's the matter of Yukari, whose plans are about to come to fruition...
1. Chapter 1

Late at night, the moon was rising over the famed Youkai Mountains while halfway full. High in the night sky of Gensokyo a youkai kitsune with yellow eyes, short blonde hair kept under a pink two-tailed hat, and a blue and light purple dress with blue print on the front. She focused her attention towards a scroll, glancing away only to look down at the forests below, which were rather quiet on this uneventful night. The Youkai was known as Ran Yakumo, and at this moment she let out a sigh and curled the scroll up with a flick of the wrist.

"At least things have died down after the recent incidents…All the Lunarian weapons are gone, the barrier is patched up, and all those impure Lunarians have returned to the moon where they rightfully belong…" Ran spoke with a degree of arrogance and relief, putting the scroll into her sleeves as she folded her arms together. "I must report the completion of my tasks to Lady Yukari now…" Ran said as she began to turn around.

She flinched, as suddenly her master appeared before her through a small gap. The master, known by many as Yukari Yakumo, was wearing a long pink dress with a crumpled up white hat atop her head. Her long blonde hair had blue ribbons tied to the ends, and her hands were covered by long white gloves. In one hand she held a simple paper fan, in the other she held a fancy white parasol over her shoulder. The fan was waved in front of her mischievously smiling face as she looked at Ran, stating to her in a relaxed manner "You are sure you've done everything…Ran?"

Yukari looked so relaxed, that it was hard to imagine that she could command any authority at a glance. But Ran, who was quite powerful in her own right, quickly became submissive as she bowed her head forward and stated "I-I fulfilled the tasks you assigned me on the scroll, Lady Yukari." Befitting of a master to her shikigami, Yukari smacked Ran across the head with her parasol after quickly folding it up, returning it back to where it was equally as fast. Ran flinched, but accepted the punishment as Yukari then said to her "I wish for you to read the scroll over to me, if you would."

Ran wasted little time in pulling the scroll free from her sleeves and opening it up, reading out to her master "Seal the barrier up again after it was broken through by that 'hermit'…" Yukari commented on this matter with nonchalance by stating "At some point you must get around to having a little 'chat' with that 'hermit' who broke the barrier, Ran…Such bold behavior cannot go overlooked."

Ran continued on by mentioning "Make sure to dispose of the deactivated Lunarian weapons and ensure they can't use the Dream World as a safe zone again…" Yukari again brushed off the matter nonchalantly, stating as she looked towards the moon "And the cowards have returned to their prison where they rightfully belong…If they have still not learned their lesson after two straight defeats, then they are more of a lost cause than I had assumed of them." Glancing at her shikigami, Yukari remarks with a bit of forcefulness "Continue, Ran…"

Ran looks at the scroll again and says "There's nothing else here…" Yukari once more responds with a swift smack of Ran's forehead with the parasol, this time striking a little harder before remarking "I suppose I should have used a less powerful ink on that last one…Or perhaps your senses are dulling from a lack of use lately, Ran. The invisible ink I placed below the second request states, as such, 'To prepare the necessary things for Master Yukari to put the menreiki under her control'."

Looking at the scroll again with a look of embarrassment, Ran bowed and said "I am so, so sorry, Lady Yukari…It seems you used your ink that is only revealed from contact with the light of the moon…I am a fool to have not noticed such a difference." Yukari smacked Ran one more time, but was delicate in her punishment and said in a complimenting tone "At least you are recognizing that. So, I suppose I must now leave you to that task, Ran?"

"I shall have everything ready within a day, all prime and proper without a single flaw. It is all I can do to owe up for this folly…" Ran stated earnestly, and Yukari told her "As I am expecting of you, Ran. Now, you may go, I require nothing else from you tonight…" With permission granted from her master, Ran left through a gap Yukari opened for her, leaving the lone enigma of a Youkai to look over the land she adored with a small smile on her face.

"The time of his arrival draws closer with every passing day…Time steps towards that destination faster and faster, almost as if it's in a hurry to lure the shadow of Death herself to us…" Yukari then chuckled in a humored manner and said "I welcome the challenge, in that case. Perhaps I shall put a modicum of effort into things this time around…Gensokyo, my favored land, I shall prepare you for the coming battles soon enough…Especially you, my dear Hata no Kokoro…"

 **Touhou Project Masquerade Arc Final Story: Phantasm Masquerade**

 **Chapter 1: Catching up on Recent Events**

Gensokyo is a mythical land of fantasy. Things like Youkai, fairies and spirits are very common in this land, and technology that the more modern day outside world thrives on is very scarce in this land. So for the forests of Gensokyo to be filled with the roar of a motor engine running at full capacity is quite an odd thing to hear, to say the least. But even that sound is explainable through the odd nature of this land, however, describing just who is riding this vehicle is a little more…bizarre to say the least. Tell me, have you ever heard of a Buddhist nun clocking forty miles per hour on a motorbike?

…Well I'd imagine not in the real world, but this Gensokyo, where a lot of common logic can be thrown out the window at any given moment. Regardless, I am wasting your time, so lets get to the point. Through the forest, a woman by the name of Byakuren Hijiri is currently riding a two-wheeled motorbike around the many trees in the forest. There was a light above the handles that made it easy to warn the Youkai living within of her riding should the roar of her engines not prove sufficient enough.

Byakuren was decked in a black leather outfit that conformed to her body's beautiful curves perfectly, with a few straps covering her chest and a green scarf around her neck. Her gradient purple and brown hair blew back as she rode happily through the forest, with either confidence or arrogance dictating her decision to not wear a helmet for protection. The same could not be said for her passenger, a young Youkai by the name of Hata no Kokoro, whose head was protected by a black glass covered helmet. Her long lavender hair stuck out from the back of the helmet and fluttered about as she held her arms around Byakuren's waist.

As usual, Kokoro wore her blue plaid blouse with odd shaped buttons and salmon-colored pumpkin shaped skirt with smiling and frowning faces cut into it. While Byakuren rode her motorbike excitedly, Kokoro's heart beat rapidly against her chest, though not even this excitement was enough to illicit a change in her expression. In a motherly tone unbecoming of a biker, Byakuren proclaimed "How are you holding up, Kokoro?!"

In a stoic if not stuttering manner Kokoro replied "I-I'm fine, mother! I can handle this…" Byakuren breached the forest and ended up in a grassy plain, and upon gripping the handles tightly she said with a little energy "Then hang on…! We got one turn left!" She turned the bike and make a sharp curve through the grass, tearing up the ground before she clenched the ignition tightly and caused the motorbike to release flames from the back before it boosted forward at high speeds towards a ramp.

But it was not just any ramp. The cloudy nyuudou Unzan had turned the back of his body into a solid ramp as he laid atop the grass and drank a cup of tea in his right hand until the moment Byakuren sped the bike up the back of his body, and the feeling of rough leather makes him let out a heavy grunt of enjoyment for how good it felt even if it did briefly leave a rough impression on his form. After a brief flight through the air where one could get a good glance of the land below, Byakuren brings the bike right down in front of her temple, swerving it around to a complete stop as the wheels kick up a heavy amount of dirt.

The entrance of the temple, the trio of Kyouko Kasodani, Ichirin Kunoi, and Nue Houjuu were there waiting for Byakuren to stick the landing, and all three of them held up a small piece of scroll paper with a cross painted on it in different ways for each person. The cross was the kanji representing "ten", and while holding up her sign in particular Kyouko wagged her doggy tail and smiled widely. Byakuren, however, looked at her three followers as she pulled the keys out and spun them around on one finger and remarked in a humored tone "You don't have to appraise my performance every time, you know…"

After Kokoro lets go of her, Byakuren got off the bike and turned to help her off, though first she laid a hand against her chest to check how much her heart was beating. It was almost like a woodpecker tapping it's beak against a tree with how fast it was going. Kokoro was leaning back a bit and was silent until Byakuren said "I really hope that wasn't too much for you to handle, Kokoro…" Kokoro raised a hand up and delicately laid it around Byakuren's wrist, telling her quietly as she took the helmet off "I-It's ok mommy…I'm ok, I'm alright…"

Kokoro got off the bike and looked up at Byakuren's face with her nearly blank ivory eyes, her chest puffing out a bit to show her catching her breath while Byakuren appropriately smiled at her bravery. Byakuren placed the keys in a pocket on her suit before she said "You handled yourself very well then, Kokoro, especially for your first time." Kokoro looked up as Ichirin, who was wearing her usual Buddhist attire, said to her after a brief chuckle "It's certainly better than how I dealt with it…"

Nue leaned back on her miniature UFO and said with her pointy eyes perked up mischievously "Hahaha, I remember that! Unzan was holding a bucket for you to throw up in for a whole week!" Ichirin let out a sigh as she rested some fingers against her forehead and said "And poor Unzan had to take some of that into his body by accident…" Speaking of the nyuudou, he flew his way over the forest and towards the temple at that very moment, rubbing his back until it looked normal again, letting out a loud sigh of relief before he levitated down behind Ichirin.

Ichirin rubbed Unzan's beard and the cloudy man chuckled, followed by Byakuren bowing with her hands held together and stating "Thank you, mighty Unzan, for your help today." Unzan smiles a little bit in response, and Ichirin then said to Byakuren "Alright Lady Byakuren, we'll go get to work on the garden now. Call on us if you need any help with anything else!" Ichirin and Unzan then departed from the front of the temple for the time being.

Kokoro gave Byakuren her helmet as she looked at her two followers, asking them politely "So, are either of you interested in riding this bike?" Kyouko widened her eyes and said in a squeamish voice "N-No, that's alright Lady Byakuren. I could never ride something that dangerous…" Nue winks at Kyouko and tauntingly said to her "You'd be better off riding a tricycle you little softy."

Kyouko perked her eyes up and faced Nue, telling her harshly "T-That's uncalled for Nue!" Byakuren reprimanded the little youkai alien by raising a finger and saying "There's no need to mock Kyouko for her decision, Nue. Even I must admit that this motorbike was hard to learn to operate at first…There are some Youkai out there who would only wish they were as fearsome as this machine…" Byakuren smiled as she laid a hand atop the bike's handles.

"I suppose it's wrong for a Buddhist to hold onto material possessions, but at the same time we're happy to have this bike with us…Perhaps Buddha shall be forgiving of yet any transgression if I offer him more sutras…" Byakuren gently said, and Kokoro looked her in the eyes and told her "Mommy, I'm sure he's an understanding person." Byakuren was comforted by Kokoro's words and smiled, while Nue laid atop her UFO out of their sight and kicked her stockinged legs up while remarking "The bikes in the outside world are SOOOO much better though…Every one of them would make this look like a dusty relic."

Nue then grinned at Kokoro and said "You know Kokoro, Mamizou and I could turn into one of those bikes ANYTIME we want to. Perhaps you'd enjoy riding one of us sometime?" Nue's grin widened a little as she immediately saw the reaction from both Byakuren and Kyouko, and the innocent tilt of Kokoro's head as she was seriously considering the idea. Kyouko shut her eyes tight and barked at Nue "Y-You know exactly what you're saying there Nue! Don't go corrupting Kokoro!" Which admittedly threw the Youkai off-balance for a moment.

Nue shrugged and said with a coy glance towards the yamabiko "It's just some harmless wordplay Kyouko. You got to stop getting so worked up, honestly…" "Well maybe if you weren't such a POOPY HEAD!" Kyouko proclaimed with such emphasis that her voice echoed out a shockwave that pushed Nue back, leaving her rather surprised. Byakuren then firmly put her foot down while keeping a motherly air around her, saying as she smiled "Kyouko, no name calling is necessary. And Nue, I do believe that there are some scrolls that need to be sorted away, so perhaps you could use that delinquent energy of yours to work on that, hmmm?"

Byakuren, her eyes shut, made Nue cease her delinquent behavior by just turning her head her way. She just looked exasperated for a moment before stuttering "A-Alright, M-Miss Hijiri. I…I'll get right on that!" She then sat upright on her UFO and turned around to make way for the temple quickly, while Kyouko stuck her tongue out and made a quiet raspberry. Byakuren, however, then said to Kyouko "You have some work to do as well Kyouko, in case you forgot."

Kyouko flinched and then turned to look at Byakuren as she said "R-Right Lady Hijiri!" She then scurried off on her merry way, leaving mother and daughter alone next to the bike. Kokoro was still thinking about what Nue had said until Byakuren turning to face her made enough noise to snap the young menreiki out of her trance. Kokoro then glanced up and said "Mommy, come to think about it…Where did you even get this motorcycle?"

Byakuren folded her arms together under her chest and remarked with a pondering glance upward "You know, it's not really that interesting of a story, Kokoro…" "And yet one I believe we BOTH wish to hear anyways, wouldn't you agree Hijiri?" A third voice joined this conversation with intrigue in their tone, and Byakuren and Kokoro looked towards the forest to see the familiar Toyosatomimi no Miko approaching them. For once, she was not wearing her famed cape nor was she joined by her followers.

"Daddy…!" Kokoro said with the little joy she could muster upon seeing Miko. Yes, Miko is a female like every other named character that's not Rinnosuke. No, Kokoro did not make a mistake in calling Miko her father. But compared to the feminine Byakuren, the somewhat masculine Miko better fits the role of a father figure to the young menreiki. Carrying her shaku before her chest, Miko stopped behind the bike and said "As I recall, your Urban Legend is one of the few that required you to find an item to use it properly, Hijiri."

Byakuren turned to look at Miko, and with a face that even the most paranoid of people could trust she said "All I did was procure a bike from Korindou. It seems as though this dropped in from the outside world around the time the Urban Legends began to crop up." "Between the Urban Legends and that strange girl from the outside, Gensokyo got some tastes of that so-called 'technology' the humans from the outside have developed. I must admit, while intrigued, I have no real interest in spending time fiddling around with any of it." Miko stated while laying a hand atop the handles of the bike and rubbing it softly.

Miko then glanced at Kokoro, who walked up to her with a little glimmer in her eyes. "And just how are you doing today, Kokoro?" Miko inquired with a smile, and Kokoro said in turn "Daddy, where have you been lately?" Miko blinked a couple times and then smiled confidently before turning around and placing her shaku up near her forehead, stating happily "I have been guiding the humans in the village through the recent chaos. It has been quite the easy task for one of my status!"

As Kokoro looked on at Miko in awe, she was doing a good job disguising the exasperated look on her face as she thought to herself _"Between the Urban Legends and the Lunarians it has been hell lately…But I can't let that show."_ Before Kokoro got the idea to glance around to see Miko's true expression, the Crown Prince flipped around and forced herself to look confident as she proclaimed "But now that the chaos has passed, I can start spending more time with you again!"

"Yay!" Kokoro proclaimed, arms raised as high as they could. Miko laughed proudly at how good her mild deception was, but then Byakuren raised a finger and said to her firmly "Miko, before that…I kind of need you to explain something to me." Miko paid close attention as Byakuren contorted her face into an expression of slight anger that made even the usually collected Miko quiver, and the words Byakuren said "Mind telling me just why you attacked our daughter during the Urban Legend incident?"

Miko clenched her shaku tightly and could just FEEL the pressure coming from Byakuren. It had been some time since the Buddhist had shown such rage around her, so Miko made quick to explain herself with as much composure as she could "I-I never did get around to apologizing for that…But Kokoro was being possessed by her particular Urban Legend, so force was the only way to free her." Byakuren's rage quickly died down and she smiled, quickly saying in response "Then thank you for doing that, but it was definitely concerning to hear Kokoro say that to me."

"And had there been any better way of handling that, I would have. Speaking of the incident though…I've heard rumors of that girl from the outside still showing up in Gensokyo despite the barrier being patched. Sightings have mostly spotted her at the Hakurei Shrine and Korindou…Isn't that rather odd?" Miko commented to slightly change the subject, and Byakuren replied "I had not seen her, no…But then again, I never directly met that girl in the first place. I only have Kokoro's description of her to go by."

"Oh, so Kokoro ended up meeting her as well? I had an encounter with that girl at the barrier breach at the crux of the plan to send her back, but Kokoro had already departed from the area at the time…So that could only mean…" Miko glanced at Kokoro and inquired "You ended up traveling to the outside world, if only temporarily?" Kokoro nodded her head once, and Miko let out a rather potent sigh before stating "This incident truly was chaos incarnate…Perhaps I should just admit my stress towards this matter and be done with it all."

"That doesn't sound like you at all, Miko." Byakuren pointed out with a humored look on her face, and Miko admitted in turn "No I suppose you're right. Hahaha…Perhaps I should switch to Buddhism to find some peace of mind." Miko and Byakuren shared a glance for a moment and then both laughed at the idea, as they knew that Miko would not so readily abandon Taoism. Kokoro blinked a bit before asking "But mommy, if you didn't meet that strange human from the outside, what were you doing?"

As Kokoro raised a finger to her chin and pondered the answer Byakuren and Miko both looked at her, with Byakuren being wise enough to state "Oh, I was trying to deal with the Occult Balls, and Miko and I got into a bit of a disagreement over how to handle them. I suppose I got a bit too worked up and temporarily decided to butt heads with Miko for the first time in a while." Miko merely chuckled at that and said kindly "There is no need to apologize for that. In the end, while our goals connect in regards to Kokoro, our views in regards to other matters are still different enough that the occasional argument is to be expected. Though I shall point out that it was I who defeated your mother in our danmaku duel."

Miko, after that light boast, was met with a brief glance from Byakuren as she commented "Only because I began to understand what you were planning with the Occult Balls. What matters in the end is not who won, but rather that the Occult Balls were taken out of this world entirely." Byakuren then raised a finger to her chin and whispered "But then again, there was that thing the Hakurei maiden approached me for…"

"I'd put no concern in anything regarding the Occult Balls or the Urban Legends at this junction, Hijiri. As the news spread about, the Lunarians responsible for planting them in this world have returned back to the moon. Speaking of such incidents though…How did you both fare with those odd machines they planted on Gensokyo?" Miko inquired, leading to Byakuren stating "I managed to destroy a couple of them, but they just kept sending in more. Everyone at the temple had a difficult time being around them…"

"I-I managed to destroy one after a while, but they were really scary…." Kokoro commented a moment later before a mask showing her fright appeared for her to put onto her face as she shivered. Miko blinked a couple times and thought to herself _"Shouldn't the machines have rejected her presence? Hmm…I suppose tsukumogamis might be different enough in that regard."_ Byakuren said in a gentle but reprimanding tone "You should've come to the temple Kokoro, it's dangerous to get involved with these type of incidents." Even though she said that, Byakuren did remember the times Kokoro had fended well for herself.

"Regardless, that incident has also passed, and the humans in the village are calming down for the time being. It's certainly a wake-up call though that we might need to prepare for another invasion attempt by the Lunarians…" Miko commented with a little caution in her voice, something which is not common from her. Byakuren took her words to heart and said "But specifically, we should make sure the human village is well-protected from collateral damage. We're lucky that the Lunarians didn't drop their weapons down there."

"Indeed, and luck is not something we can rely on again. But I do not wish to drown our conversation on such stressing matters…I said I finally broke away from affairs in the Human Village for a reason, after all." Miko then glanced at Kokoro and said with an inquisitive smile on her face "So Kokoro, how has life been treating you besides the recent incidents?" Kokoro pulled away the mask and said calmly "I've been doing well…I'm still going to the Scarlet Devil Mansion to see Flandre, and Tenshi has come down to visit me a lot to make sure I'm ok."

With a slight glimmer of joy in her eyes, Kokoro laid a hand against her chest and said "And I've been trying to help people in the human village a lot." Miko smiled at that and said "Still remaining dutiful to that vow you made all those months ago, I see. Very good Kokoro, your diligence towards that vow should be rewarded, wouldn't you agree?" Nervously Kokoro shook her head and said "T-That's alright daddy, mommy said kindness is it's own reward."

Miko glanced up at Byakuren briefly and then said "Very well, I suppose I shall respect that. I am always listening to the desires of those around me Kokoro, so if you need help finding someone TO help, then I am always willing to help. And I'm sure Hijiri has people come to her that need help as well." Kokoro responded honestly with "It's alright daddy, I need to be able to handle this myself. A-And I soon plan to help those who I wronged back when I went out of control with my powers."

With intrigue in her voice Miko commented "An admirable goal if I do say so. But just be careful, some folk might be particularly dangerous to be around without some company." Kokoro said with an affirming head nod "Of course daddy…" After a moment of thought Kokoro perked her head up and said "Oh yes, I forgot to mention that I'm going to need to head off to the Scarlet Devil Mansion in a bit. I promised Flandre that I'd take her out to explore Gensokyo."

"Is that so…? Well then, it seems I will have to save our time together until a later date." Miko said with a hint of disappointment in her voice as she laid the shaku against her mouth. Kokoro then respectfully bowed towards Byakuren and remarked "Thanks for the ride mommy…I'll see you later." Byakuren bowed to her daughter and reminded her kindly "Remember your sutras dear, and I shall wish you well on your travels tonight."

It was a simple farewell, but it showed the understanding and love between the two. Kokoro then looked at Miko and gave her a bow as well before walking away from the temple and taking off the ground with flight. As she left their sight, Miko took a moment to glance at Byakuren's leather suit and finally decided to comment "Now you explained the motorbike…But just where exactly did you get that suit from, Hijiri?" Byakuren nervously chuckled and said "Now THAT…Is a longer story…"

Meanwhile, in the forest not far away from the temple, there was a particular opening the wise but mischievous tanuki Mamizou Futatsuiwa was looking through at ground level. She leaned against a tree while wearing a beige striped scarf around her neck and waving her bushy tail around. With her arms folded together she watched Kokoro fly by overhead and perked her ears up, remarking in a curious tone "It's been a few months since that troublesome Yukari mentioned going after Kokoro, and yet she has not made a single move…"

Mamizou leaned her head forward and the lens of her glasses went white as she commented "Perhaps I need to make MY move now before she gets the chance…Hmm, it's going to be difficult, but I do have the right allies on hand to make this task easier." Putting the pipe she holds into her mouth to smoke it briefly, Mamizou's smile crept along her face as she said "You aren't going to lay a hand on the menreiki, Yukari…Mark my words, the brilliant mind of Sado shall not lose to you."

 _Next Time: Return to the Night Concerto_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Concerto of the Vampiric Night**

After having departed from her mother's temple, Kokoro took flight over the forests of Gensokyo towards the icy expanse of the famed Misty Lake. She looked past the sunset drenched fog towards the shadow of the mansion she was going to visit tonight, which looked more menacing than the young menreiki knew it to be from her perspective. It didn't take her long to cross over the Misty Lake, a place that held a crucial memory for her. Reminded of the time she ended her battle with Tenshi in this lake, Kokoro perked her head up a bit to look at the sky and think to herself _"I wonder how you're doing…Tenshi."_

It had been a little bit since Kokoro had last seen the mischievous little Celestial, but so long as Tenshi wasn't causing any trouble around Gensokyo Kokoro could be plenty patient when it came to seeing her again. After that brief thought Kokoro ended up close to the mansion, which was just as large and scarlet colored as one would normally expect. Kokoro did not focus directly on this fancy mansion, looking more towards the front gate near the edge of the forest, and the dutiful if not sometimes tired guard standing around nearby.

Descending from the sky, Kokoro landed in front of Hong Meiling, a girl with long scarlet hair who wears a green beret and dress representing traditional Chinese clothing along with some slightly roughed up white pants. As of now, Meiling leaned against the side of the gate with her arms folded and her eyes shut tight as she rests. Kokoro was used to this by now and knew how to respond to this behavior. Lifting a hand up, Kokoro summoned her fiery blue pike and stepped back, swinging it towards Meiling's head.

In a snap, Meiling woke up and raised her right arm to block the pike with a focused expression before she looked at Kokoro and said "You aren't going to catch me off-guard anytime soon, disciple Kokoro!" Meiling's grin was followed by Kokoro trying to go along with her over-the-top attitude and stating "Oh no! Once more I was unable to surprise you, master." Though there wasn't any emotion put into the words, the playful nature of the words was enough for Meiling to chuckle over it.

Kokoro then pulled back on the pike and spun it around once before dispelling it, with Meiling folding her arms and remarking "Heh, so it's that time of the day already?" After a couple blinks Meiling looks to the transitioning sky and then looked completely shocked before blurting out "I-It really is that time already?!" Meiling then starts grimacing a bit and looking nervously towards the entrance of the mansion before Kokoro said to her "Meiling, you really need to find some way to wake yourself up when you need to be somewhere…"

Meiling glanced back at Kokoro and said to her "I'd ask to borrow one of Sakuya's clocks, but I already know her response…" Meiling stands perfectly upright and with a finger raised beside her face she says in a forcibly prim and proper tone "Every clock of mine is perfectly clean and precious. To entrust one to you would be a risk I could not take as a proper maid." While Meiling was talking, she had no clue that Sakuya Izayoi, the chief maid of the mansion, had suddenly appeared beside her, as usual wearing her blue and white maid outfit and keeping her silver hair tied into a pair of braided ponytails.

"Is that so, Meiling?" Sakuya said without a hint of aggression in her voice, as words alone would be enough to shock Meiling out of her little display and make her heart skip a beat or two as she jolted her arms out beside her body and let out a gasp of surprise towards Sakuya. With a nervous chuckle, Meiling asked of Sakuya "I-I'm guessing you've been here the whole time?" Sakuya glanced at Meiling with so subtle a pierce that the gatekeeper almost didn't notice and said "Of course, but do not let me ruin your comedy routine, Meiling. If you wish to continue, you can still do so in my presence."

Sakuya began to walk towards Kokoro while Meiling just returned to her normal pose, smiling at Sakuya briefly before saying to her "You know I bet you were just checking to make sure I wasn't asleep." Sakuya replied with "But I already knew that. It's expected behavior by now, Meiling, but I figured I would leave it to the menreiki to wake you this time and merely waited to greet her." Despite the start of the conversation suggesting otherwise, Sakuya and Meiling spoke respectfully towards each other now and acted more as friends, something Kokoro liked to see.

Sakuya faced Kokoro a moment later and inquired with a respectful bow "Mistress Flandre is waiting for you at the foyer…I would advise waiting a couple minutes more for the sun to fully set, however." After receiving a nod from Kokoro, Sakuya turned around and slowly made her way back to the mansion, with Kokoro looking at her and thinking about their first encounter, where the maid almost had a knife to her throat. The first impression Kokoro had of her was certainly not a warm one, but over time Kokoro has come to see her as the dedicated and elegant maid most residents of the mansion know her to be.

"I…like Sakuya…" Kokoro whispered out with a little bit of embarrassed fondness in her voice as she curled some fingers between her chest and chin. Meiling looked at her and said with a smile "Yeah, Sakuya's not a bad person…So long as you aren't her enemy, anyways. Hehehe, just saying that reminds me of the time she was OUR enemy…" Kokoro let out an "Oh?" of intrigue, and Meiling responded to it by snapping her fingers and saying "I'll tell you the story another time, how's that sound disciple Kokoro?"

Kokoro once more played along with Meiling's title for her and with hands held together she said "I would love that, master." Meiling chuckled at that and then went back to leaning against the gate for a few minutes more until the sun fully set over the mountains. At that point, Meiling casually hit the gate with the back of her hand to open it up and said "Alright Kokoro, I'll catch up with you and Mistress Flandre in a moment."

Kokoro made her way down the path, going past the trimmed shrubbery in the garden before she arrives at the front door. A single knock is all it takes to get a response from Sakuya immediately, revealing that she hadn't left the foyer after greeting Kokoro. Sakuya opens the door all the way and Kokoro is allowed to walk in after a gesture out of her arm. Standing at the stairway close by was the person Kokoro came to visit, Flandre Scarlet, the little vampire with a blonde ponytail, scarlet dress, and odd wings composed of several different colored jewels on some bent up brown sticks.

Upon turning to face Kokoro, Flandre lights up with an innocent smile and says "Yay!" before leaping off the ground and fluttering her way over to Kokoro, stretching her arms out and tackling the menreiki so suddenly that it causes her to spin around a couple of times while Flandre wraps her arms around her chest. Once Flandre has grounded herself, Kokoro waits for her to let go before saying in a slightly roughed up tone "N-Nice to see you again, Flandre…" The vampire was almost a foot shorter than Kokoro herself, so the menreiki had to lower her head quite a bit to look her in the eyes.

Flandre's eyes, however, were closed at the moment as she gave Kokoro an honest smile and said "Fufufu…I'm so excited to go out tonight! Where are you taking me this time, huh? Huh?!" Flandre was filled with child-like wonder and excitement and kept making short hops off the ground while her tiny hands were tucked into the pockets of her dress. Kokoro could barely keep up with Flandre's excitement and thus said in a stutter "W-Well I first want to let Remilia know we're leaving…"

Flandre's excitement quickly stopped as he stood on the ground and said with a snide glance over her shoulder "Oh no that's fine, we don't have to do that, honest." Even the easily fooled Kokoro saw past that and quickly looked at Sakuya as he still stood at the door, asking her quickly "Remilia hasn't been told yet, has she?" Sakuya quickly replied "Not at all. She just left to grab something for Mistress Flandre…She said she'd return in a moment."

Flandre grumbled a little bit and then with her eyes halfway shut she glanced aside and mumbled "She's at it once again, that silly sister of mine…" But she quickly looked back at Kokoro before the menreiki could notice her expression, thinking that Kokoro wasn't aware of the tongue Flandre had towards her older sister. Kokoro blinked a couple times and then looked to the stairs as Remilia Scarlet suddenly ran by the top of them, grinding her feet against the carpet to tear it up before she leaps off and glides down to where Flandre and Kokoro are.

As usual, Remilia's hair was short and light-blue, and she wore her fancy pink dress and mob cap. Her wings were more like what a vampire's should be, wide and bat-like with a color as black as the pure night sky. After panting a little bit Remilia stands perfectly upright and looks at Flandre, holding up a small dark red open jacket by the collar and remarking with her face lit up in a grin "You almost forgot your jacket again, Flandre." Flandre forced a smile and said with subtle sarcasm "Oh yes sister, I am quite clumsy to have forgotten this. Thank you."

Flandre takes the jacket with a little hesitation and puts it on her body with her eyes closed the whole time, all the while Remilia looked at Kokoro and said with her fingertips pressed together in front of her chest "Fufufu…You're looking rather well tonight, Kokoro." Kokoro knew to meet the compliment with one of her own and said "As are you, Remilia." With a hand crossed before her chest. Remilia smirked with fangs visible and said "But of course. A vampire must always look their best…Both for their guests, and for those they intimidate in the night. I would hate to be rude."

Flandre just rolls her eyes a bit at that as she finishes putting her jacket on, folding her wings in to make sure they are comfortable. "Alright sis, we're going to be heading off now. No need to wait up for us…" Flandre tried to hurry things along while turning around, but Remilia laid her hands on her sister's shoulders and said while giving them a brief rub "Don't try and run off…Don't go sucking blood unless it's in self-defense…And make sure to listen to Meiling or Kokoro at all times. If you are forced to stay outside for the night, then at least make sure to clean your fangs, Flandre."

Kokoro watched Remilia's actions closely, and even now found it hard to connect the kindly older sister to the proud and powerful vampire feared by many. Such is the nature of the vampire Remilia Scarlet, Kokoro supposed in the end. After Remilia let go of Flandre, the little sister made a dry comment of "Of course mother, I shall take good care of myself." Remilia folded her arms together and said with a snide glare "Hmmm, I hope you won't use that tongue with Meiling."

Smiling over her shoulder with a hand close to her chin Flandre said "Oh no sister, I save this all for you when you get like this…Fufufu." Remilia's right eye twitched a bit but then she said kindly "Fine, I shall leave this matter be then. Enjoy yourself, Flandre." Remilia turned around and began to stroll up the stairs, where at the top Sakuya had already cleaned up the damage her mistress had caused earlier. Sakuya bowed towards Remilia and walked off to take care of other stuff.

Flandre looked at Kokoro and said "I may give Remilia a lot of grief, but she does make it a little too easy sometimes. But it's ok, we're both sisters, after all." Kokoro nods her head and says stoically "No one knows their sister more than you, Flandre." "Fufufu, indeed I do. Come on Kokoro, Meiling might have already dozed off by now, fufufu." Flandre takes Kokoro by the hand and the two walk out of the mansion, where the door shuts all on it's own.

Surprisingly, Meiling was perfectly awake at the gate waiting for the two to approach her. Once they passed the gate, Meiling shut and locked it tight out of properness' sake, since pretty much everyone in Gensokyo can just fly over it anyways. Flandre then looked into Kokoro's eyes with child-like interest and asked "So where are we going tonight?" Kokoro looked at Meiling and told her "I need you take us through the forest Meiling. There's an open area in the middle of it where I want to take Flandre."

"Alright, you'll have to let me know when we get there. The forest is preeeetty big." Meiling commented before taking the lead towards the forest in front of the mansion. Flandre and Kokoro stayed close behind as they moved on ahead, and for a while the two just casually talk to each other while making their way for the destination. Halfway there, the three hear a rustling coming from the bushes. Meiling cautiously raised her arms out to stop Flandre and Kokoro, and then watched as a vicious wolf leaped out of the bushes. It's mouth was drenched with blood and it's eyes were yellow and very feral, with very rugged fur and claws that could rip through trees.

"A lycanthrope Youkai, eh?" Meiling said with a feeling of anticipation welling up inside of her. She cracked her knuckles a little and said confidently to her two followers "I'll take care of this Youkai swiftly, don't worry about it!" Meiling then leaped high up and dropped her right leg down towards the rogue Youkai, smashing the ground as the beast leaps out of the way and growls before lunging at Meiling. Meiling thrusts herself forward and grabs the beast by it's gut with enough force to stun it before running forward to ram it through a tree.

As the tree falls down, Flandre looks at Kokoro and remarks nonchalantly "It's certainly exciting to run into a rabid Youkai in the middle of the night, isn't it?" Kokoro said while looking her way "I don't see them very often, even at night…At least Meiling is here to defeat it." As that was said, Meiling had just piledrove the Youkai into the ground, leaving a visible impact. "Fufufu…I've heard she's really good and strong. Sis wouldn't have picked her as a gatekeeper otherwise…"

Kokoro looked up for a moment as Meiling was currently rapid-firing punches into the Youkai's chest as it was suspended in mid-air, rainbow streaks filling the sky with every impact. Kokoro's eyes were filled with awe even if her expression didn't suggest it, and she said as Meiling threw one mighty kick to send the Youkai flying high into the sky "She's so cool…" Flandre chuckled immaturely and said in turn "Fufufu, someone's a fan, it seems."

Kokoro just looks at Flandre with a bit of embarrassment on her face and Flandre just chuckled a little more at that, followed by Meiling turning around and brushing her hands together before saying "Sorry about that distraction you two." With her arms folded behind her back Meiling stretches a little and then cracks a giddy smile, stating to her company "Alright, lets continue onward." Meiling turned around and cheerfully took the lead through the little bit of destruction her scuffle caused. By the time the three left the area, the Youkai she fought fell to the ground and was left unconscious.

Through the next few minutes of travel, Flandre and Kokoro continued to converse until eventually Kokoro saw a familiar rounded opening in the forest with odd colored grass, at which point she looked up at Meiling and commented "This is the destination." Meiling glanced back and said "Eh? You serious?" Kokoro nodded her head once and commented "You'll see in a few seconds, Meiling, Flandre."

Flandre perked her head up and said "I'm looking forward to it anyways!" in a very excited tone. Passing by a couple more trees, the three entered the circular area around the same time as two others. One was Kyouko, now dressed in a gothic outfit complete with sunglasses. The other was Mystia Lorelei, a night sparrow Youkai with feathery pink wings and ears along with short pink hair. Like Kyouko, Mystia also wore a gothic outfit with sunglasses on her face, and in her hands were a pair of guitars and a microphone. Surprised, Kyouko let out an echoing yelp that shocked Mystia and said after "K-Kokoro! I wasn't expecting you out here tonight!"

Kokoro raised a hand and waved out to Kyouko while letting out a blunt "Yo!" Kyouko then saw both Meiling and Flandre, both of whom kindly wave out as the yamabiko inquires "I recognize the girl with the Chinese getup…Who's the little girl?" Kokoro, not knowing the implication of what she was about to say, nonchalantly remarked "This is Remilia's little sister, Flandre." Immediately Mystia dropped what she was carrying and shared the absolute shock Kyouko had on her face, both of them twitching nervously.

"F-Flandre Scarlet? T-T-The terror of the Scarlet Devil Mansion…T-T-That Flandre?!" Mystia remarked with her teeth clattering in shock afterwards. It's not too surprising really…Flandre does not have the reputation of appearing around Gensokyo at all. The only details of her appearance are in a book created by the famed historical scribe, Hieda no Akyuu, and even then not very many people would be inclined to remember those details, especially not someone like Mystia who is terrible at reading.

As Flandre lets out a sigh in response, Kokoro steps forward and cautiously raised a hand to reassure the two "It's ok…Flandre isn't someone to fear. I just want her to hear one of your concerts. If something does go wrong…" Kokoro gestures over her right shoulder and says with some confidence "Meiling can keep things from getting out of hand. But that won't happen, I promise you."

After hearing the menreiki out, Kyouko looks at Flandre and the innocent if not fanged smile of her and with a look towards Mystia she said "I-I mean she doesn't look like she could cause us any trouble. She's just a little girl…" Mystia glanced at her friend in disbelief and whispered to her "She's still a vampire Kyouko, are you really going to overlook that? Last thing we need is for half our crowd to be drained of blood."

Kyouko perked her ears up and said with a confident smile "Awww come on Mystia, is Kokoro not trustworthy enough to keep a vampire in check? And I've seen that karate girl in action…She's pretty strong." Mystia, after seeing the perky face of her band partner, glanced over at Flandre one more time and said to her "Hey, this is your first time seeing one of these, isn't it?" "Fufufu, it's why Kokoro brought me here, after all." Flandre commented in a humored tone.

After a sigh, Mystia raised a hand to point at Flandre with one of her long fingernails and said in a firm and slightly flustered tone "Alright, but it's going to get pretty crazy. Try and keep your cool and we'll be good, alright?" Flandre nodded her head politely, which surprised Mystia considering the reputation she heard regarding the Scarlets. After composing herself and picking the tools back up, Mystia looked at Kyouko and bluntly inquired "Alright, lets get this prepared, we lost about a minute, Kyouko."

As the two got to work setting things up, Kokoro walked back to Flandre, who said in an appreciative tone "Thank you for standing up for me, Kokoro." Kokoro said while kindly rubbing the top of Flandre's head "Of course…I always stand up for my friends." After Kokoro turns around Meiling comments "Oh ok, I think I get it now…This is that punk rock Youkai duo known as Choujuu Gigaku. I heard about them in a couple of those newspapers the mansion gets from time to time."

Meiling raised an eyebrow and then said "But…Isn't that one of those Youkai that lives in that temple you hang around, Kokoro?" The memory in Meiling's mind regarding the yamabiko clicked fully when Kokoro said to her "Yes she is. She sweeps mommy's temple a lot…" "Oh! That echoing Youkai…A yamabiko I believe they are called? Huh, didn't think a Buddhist would want to be part of a band…Then again, I guess a Youkai being a Buddhist is odd enough as is." As Meiling wracks her mind with these ideas, Kokoro tries to resist telling her about Byakuren riding a motorcycle, as that would only confuse her further.

Time slowly passes as more Youkai begin to show up, filling the edge of the area so much that Kokoro has to hold Flandre's hand just to make sure she doesn't get swept up in the madness. Meiling stays close behind them both, and after everyone had gathered to create a ring of hundreds of Youkai of all kinds of species Mystia and Kyouko stood at the center of the area and prepared their microphones for the concert. The Youkai all cheered in unison save for our trio, who waited to see how the show would start.

There were a couple Youkai big enough to obscure Flandre's view, so after leaping up to try and get a view over them she instead decides to try something a little more clever. Once on the ground she gently nudges Kokoro's hand off of her and reaches for the back of her jacket with her fingernails, tearing a deep enough gash for her wings to come free. She then flutters herself up enough to be able to see Choujuu Gigaku properly right as they began to sing. Meiling and Kokoro notice Flandre's little trick, but instead of making a ruckus Kokoro goes along with the idea and floats up beside Flandre to hold her hand.

The music comes out loudly, with Kyouko and Mystia singing their newest song with so much energy that the music itself manifests as waves of wavy light that flows through all the Youkai in the area. A lot of the words in the lyrics made little sense together, but the way the music itself flowed was so perfectly conducted that no one in the area cared. Cheers filled the forest, echoing out in all directions thanks to Kyouko's powers. Any Youkai that hadn't yet gathered was lured over to listen, bringing with them even more cheers.

As more and more noise filled the forest, there admittedly became a concern on Kokoro's end of Flandre being too overwhelmed and opting to raise one of her hands and use her ability to destroy some of the people making the sound, but when the menreiki turned to face the vampire she surprisingly found her joining in the cries of her fellow night owls. In fact she was using her free hand to pump her fist into the air joyously, giggling every now and then between cheers. Kokoro cracked a tiny smile upon looking at Flandre's enjoyment, glad to see her experiencing something new with the utmost glee on her face.

Looking back, Kokoro saw that even Meiling was really into the music, snapping her fingers while spinning her cap above her head on one finger, letting out a roar that would put the cheers of all other Youkai to shame. Through the roars of the crowd, Kokoro exclaimed to Flandre "This is fun, isn't it?!" The stoic nature of Kokoro's voice made it hard for Flandre to hear her at first and she turned her head and let out a sharp "Eh?!" The bright grin on Flandre's face said enough though, and Kokoro exclaimed "Never mind!" and went back to focus on the concert.

The concert went on for thirty minutes before coming to an end, with Kyouko and Mystia thanking their audience for their time. The crowd of Youkais slowly departed from the area, leaving the trio alone with Choujuu Gigaku by the time they were gone. Eagerly, Flandre suddenly dashed over to the two and after hopping to grab their attention she said "That was so good! I want one of those…autagraffs?" It was a word Flandre had heard but never pronounced before, but Kyouko and Mystia both knew what it was she wanted to say and looked at each other, blinking in a surprised manner.

Stretching her mouth out a little, Kyouko inquired "M-Mystia…Have we ever done autographs before?" Mystia shook her head in response before stating "No one's ever asked…I-I don't have any one of those pens or whatever." Meiling walked up to the two and said politely "Don't fret about it, I got one on me." She reached into a pocket on the waist of her dress and pulled out a small pen, clicking on it to push the tip out before handing it over to Kyouko with a smile on her face.

The question of why or how Meiling got a pen would have to wait, as Kyouko was so absorbed in excitement over getting to sign her first autograph. She walked over to Flandre with her mouth salivating a little while Flandre raised the arm of her jacket up so Kyouko could sign it happily, putting a clean signature onto the sleeve. Since Mystia wasn't good at writing either, Kyouko signed for her. Afterwards, Flandre happily fluttered her wings and said "Thank you for letting me be here, Kyoukers!"

Kyouko hearing that nickname sent her tail wagging rapidly, and in a gleeful tone she had turned her opinions around on Flandre and said "You're so ADORABLE…! Give me a hug!" Kyouko tries to kneel down and embrace Flandre, but the vampire puts a little too much strength into the hug and accidentally hurts Kyouko. Kyouko lets out a couple yelps and then begs for her to let go. Flandre does so and Kyouko stands up while nervously remarking "I-I shouldn't have underestimated the strength of a vampire…"

After Kyouko rubs her back, she hands the pen back to Meiling, thanking her for the help before saying goodbye to the three, especially Kokoro. Her and Mystia then depart from the area, while Flandre sways back and forth while holding her arms behind her back, already humming the first tune Choujuu Gigaku sung. Flandre turned around and said to Kokoro "I'm going to be humming this all the way back home at this rate, fufufu…!" Kokoro replied "It's certainly an addictive melody, isn't it?"

Flandre playfully nodded her head with a fanged smile and a little "Kyu…!" came out of her mouth before Kokoro gave her a smile and said "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Flandre. I'm sorry to say though that I haven't though of anywhere else to take you tonight…" "Fufufu…! That's alright, I'm fine with this for tonight!" Flandre said with glee.

Kokoro tilted her head and said "Oh…" with a bit of sadness and Flandre lifted a hand up to remark "I'll have fun with you again some other time though Kokoro! Remember? We're going to be having dinner tomorrow night at the mansion!" Kokoro perked up a bit and said "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that…"

As Flandre passed by Kokoro she glanced up at her and said "Make sure to wear a nice dress if you have one, Kokoro!" Kokoro turned to follow Flandre as she went beside Meiling, commenting in turn "I will try and find one…Perhaps mommy would have one on hand…" "Well don't worry about it too much Kokoro. Patchy will be showing up in her pajamas as usual, so it's no big deal." Meiling said in a humored tone.

"I shall see you tomorrow then, both of you…" Kokoro commented with a hand against her chest and after a bow from the three they parted, with Meiling and Flandre walking back to the mansion through the forest while Kokoro flies out. Flying through the night sky, Kokoro was ready to sleep, for tomorrow she planned to make a visit to the Human Village in order to begin her quest to help those she had wronged before…

 _Next Time: Professor Kokoro?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A Youkai Teaching Session**

The sun rises high into the sky as morning once more comes to Gensokyo. Kokoro had spent her night sleeping on the outskirts of the Human Village, as she needed to get a quick start on her plans for the day. Luckily, she had a sleeping bag on her person, bought from Korindou with her mother's money, so she was able to sleep warmly. Kokoro sits upright and smacks her lips before rubbing her eyes free of overnight build-up. A mask appeared beside her face to match her tiredness and then vanished as she stood up.

After smacking her lips some more to shake off the last sleepiness from her person she rolls up the sleeping bag and stores it within a crevice in a nearby tree, where it would be safe until she picked it up later. She then looked to the Human Village as it appeared bustling with activity, and thought to herself _"It shouldn't be too late…I should be able to find her before she starts class…"_ With a clear image of the person in her head, Kokoro walked out of the forest and into the village, where some of the villagers were already there to greet her.

They wished her a fair morning, mostly, and she politely acknowledged them. For a Youkai to be greeted warmly by humans is quite a rarity in this village, but Kokoro has never threatened them and has been shown to not eat human flesh unlike the wilder species. Combined with her providing the village with the spectacle of her Noh dances, and Kokoro is pretty much as human as a Youkai can get…An observation that's more truthful than you'd think it'd be.

Some children flock around Kokoro in a circle, asking her happily if she will ever make another Noh dance, but as she looked around at all of them and felt a bit overwhelmed all she could say was "I'm sorry, I don't know yet…" Her guilt could not be expressed enough, especially in the face of the children's disappointed sighs. The kids were called away by their parents, for they had to get to class for the morning. Kokoro's head perked when she heard that, but before she made her way to the schoolhouse a voice called to her from behind "You are quite popular, aren't you?"

Kokoro, hearing the elegance of the person in their tone, turned around and saw a young and odd looking girl. She wore a frivolous dark violet dress with a laced blue ribbon tied around the bottom and her waist, and a small blue ascot was around her neck. Her blonde hair was tied into two long but thin ponytails, and she carried around a child-sized white parasol in her right hand. The girl approached Kokoro and looked up as she expressed confusion in return, saying in her elegant voice "You are the famed Youkai performer, Hata no Kokoro, are you not?"

One look in this girl's blue eyes showed Kokoro the demeanor of a girl far beyond her years. She carried the air of an adult and was absolutely relaxed, as if not even the mightiest hurricane could topple her. At first, Kokoro was hesitant to nod her head out of shock of the girl's demeanor, but when she did the girl immediately replied "It's a pleasure to meet you this close then. I have heard many things of your endeavors." The girl grinned while Kokoro asked "Who…Who are you?"

The girl, twirling her parasol over her shoulder, pulled back and said "I am a fan, you could say, of your work." The girl paused and lifted her eyes a bit, realizing what she needed to actually say "Oh…What you meant was my name?" Said in a slightly air-headed manner, the girl then glanced at Kokoro awaiting a reply that wouldn't come soon enough, as the girl then said "Well, perhaps I should tell you later. I must be getting to class…It will start any minute now."

Kokoro flinched as the girl walked past her, recognizing that her plans for today would end in failure if she didn't hurry, but before Kokoro was out of hearing range the girl said "It was a pleasure meeting you directly for once, Hata no Kokoro." Kokoro turned around, however the girl had already become one with the growing crowd of humans. Her heart raced a little as the confusion of the encounter swept over her, and after laying her hand against her chest and feeling the beating slow down Kokoro remembered what she needed to do and looked around quickly for any signs of the person she wanted to find.

"She can't be in class yet…" Kokoro whispered hopefully before focusing on the northern part of the village and choosing to sprint that way to find the person in question. She did make sure to not run into anyone by accident, which was helped by her glowing masks giving people warning early, though she was so focused on the people that she ignored the ground and ended up running into a small ball, which caused her to spin around and start tumbling back. Kokoro's arms waved out as she tried to maintain balance, but then she ends up running right into someone along the way and as the person tumbles forward Kokoro falls onto her rear.

Kokoro opens her eyes after some mumbling from the humans and looks at the person who fell over. Immediately recognizing the person by their blue-highlighted long silver hair and dark blue dress, Kokoro takes no time noting the unfortunate coincidence in meeting them like this and gets up to help the person up as they lift their head up and see the books they were carrying spread onto the ground. Kokoro offers her hands to help them get up, and the woman named Keine Kamishirasawa says "You're…Kokoro?"

"S-Sorry I ran into you…" Kokoro offers her immediate apologies, and the woman takes her hands and accepts her help to stand up while saying "It seems it was an accident, don't fret over it." Keine was kind and understanding, most likely due to Kokoro's swiftness in helping. Keine wanted to address Kokoro further, but the menreiki was busy gathering her books up so she decided to wait. Patiently folding her arms before her waist, Keine smiled at Kokoro's dutiful efforts but noted her nervousness as she worked.

By the time Kokoro was done she held the books up in a clean stack and Keine took them under her right arm. "Thank you for helping, Kokoro. Everything's a little scuffed, but I can still read it off to the class." Said with a smile, Keine then noticed something off and laid a hand atop her head, saying in a bothered tone "Oh dear, it seems my hat was knocked off…" Kokoro immediately looked over her shoulder and saw it wasn't on the ground, and so looked to the eaves of the nearby houses and saw that a breeze had carried the small building shaped hat onto the tip of one of them.

Kokoro uses her flight to go and pick up the hat, floating in front of Keine to place it atop her hat after brushing some dirt off, and once she's on the ground Keine thanks her with "Bless you, I don't know what I would've done had I lost this hat." "Is it important to you?" Kokoro inquired with a tilt of her head. Keine nodded her head and said "If I had the time, I'd tell you the story of it, but this slip up has almost made me late for class. Thank you again, Kokoro."

Keine prepared to depart, but Kokoro quickly but gently tugged on the side of her dress while saying nervously "W-Wait a second, Ms. Keine…" Keine paused, hesitant to stop because of her duty to her class, but after Kokoro took the time to help her out she would be quite rude to leave her out to dry. Turning around, Keine cracked half a smile and asked "What is it you need, Kokoro?"

Kokoro poked her fingers together and said without focusing on Keine "I-I…I'm wondering, do you remember when I was tricked into using my powers on you?" Keine paused and glanced aside, chuckling dryly as she remembered the events in question with little fondness, saying to Kokoro "Y-Yes I suppose I do…" Kokoro kept looking back and forth before remarking "I…I've been wanting to make it up to the people I affected back then, so I wish to start with you, Ms. Keine."

Keine puckered her lips a bit in surprise and said "You do? Well, you already helped me pick up my books and hat, so you don't really have to do anything else…" Kokoro fervently shook her head and said "That just owes up for a mistake I had just made. I need to do something more for you. I could clean your classroom while you're out, I can help sort your books, I would even be willing to make you bento boxes to take for lunch. Please, if there's anything I can do, I will do it."

Keine had reservations when it came to Kokoro's suggestions, as she did not wish to use the young menreiki for laborious tasks. So for a moment she had difficulty figuring out what to have her help out with, and her concerns about getting to the classroom in time were not helping her think at first. When she connected her thoughts together though, Keine came up with a solution to Kokoro's request and with a snap of her fingers said "There IS something you can do for me today Kokoro, if you're not too busy." "I have plenty of time to spare, Ms. Keine." The menreiki replied honestly.

"Good…Then you can help me teach class today!" Keine said enthusiastically, and Kokoro is taken aback by the offer. "T-teaching? Ummm…Mommy's taught me a few things, daddy has too…But can I really go in front of a class?" She was quite nervous about the idea, but then Keine reassured her "I won't need you to teach things like history, math or anything of the sort. But you can offer the kids something not many can, and that is the perspective of a kind Youkai."

"Oh…!" Kokoro said out of shock, and Keine remarked "It's certainly not something I'd allow otherwise. Risking the safety of the children over bringing a Youkai in could lead to them getting eaten. But I know you can be trusted Kokoro." With Keine's faith marked with a smile, Kokoro said "Then I would love to help, Ms. Keine. I-I'm sorry for holding you up for the moment…"

Keine turned and said "If the kids really enjoy learning from you, then they'll forgive me being a little late. Come along Kokoro, I'll show you to the school." So the two walk through the streets of the village, avoiding anymore slip ups until they reach the building, which distinguishes itself from the other old houses by having a cloth with fancy symbols on it as the doorway. There was bustling and talking happening inside from the students before Keine enters the room, which leads to the students falling silent.

Immediately they quieted and laid their hands atop their knelt legs, with books resting in front of their kneecaps. All of them had wore down robes and short haircuts, which made the blonde-haired girl Kokoro had met earlier stick out all the more in the back. She sat like everyone else and had her parasol down beside her, and the moment Kokoro entered the room she closed her eyes and waved at her. Kokoro was only a little surprised to see her again so soon, and she weakly waved back at her while wondering who she was.

Keine went between the desk and the chalkboard and put her books down, saying to her students "Sorry for being late, but I brought with me a special person for today's lesson. Many of you may have already heard of her, but I would like to introduce the village's peaceful Youkai, Hata no Kokoro." Keine's gesture gave Kokoro the cue to grab the edges of her skirt and pull them aside to bow as she politely says "Thank you for having me here, Ms. Keine."

Immediately one of the kids said in wonder "I know her! She's that dancer with the floating masks!" As the boy pointed at Kokoro, the rest of the class began to remember her in turn and started clamoring, and Kokoro began to feel a smidge of timidity and laid the appropriate mask close to her face. She wasn't expecting this much attention right off the bat, but thankfully Keine was there to lower the pressure by remarking "Now children, there'll be plenty of time to be merry about this later. We have a schedule we need to stick to."

The words from their teacher made the students go quiet and attentive, and as Kokoro glanced at her Keine said "You're welcome to say what you want to now, Kokoro." The menreiki looked towards the class and her heart clenched momentarily as she struggled to think of something to say. _"How does mommy always handle crowds…?"_ Kokoro thought as the eager students focused their gazes intently. Kokoro said on a whim "W-Well…Have any of you heard of tsukumogamis?"

One student in the second row raised their hands and Kokoro pointed at them to essentially give them permission to state "Isn't it a Youkai made from an inanimate object?" Kokoro nodded and answered with a gesture out "In a way…Mommy said that a tsukumogami is what happens when an inanimate object is abandoned for a long time, then their loneliness grows and turns the object into a Youkai."

Another child raised their hand and was called to attention by Kokoro, and this child said "Isn't Ms. Tatara a tsukumogami then?" The Youkai in question was someone Kokoro knew pretty well from the temple, and so she was curious enough to ask "You've met Kogasa?" Leading to the kid stating "Mmm-hmm! When I was much younger, she babysat me. I-I don't remember much, except that she always carried a living umbrella around with her…"

"That's because she was one before becoming a tsukumogami. Tsukumogamis can appear from many things…I've seen some made from dolls, and others made from instruments. Anything you cherish could become a tsukumogami if left alone for a very long time…D-Do any of you have anything you greatly cherish?" Kokoro's inquiry led to a series of hands being raised, and Kokoro picked the first person in front of her who said "I-I have this scarf at home my mommy knitted for me to keep me warm during the winter…She said not even a Yuki-Onna could snatch me away with a scarf that warm."

The child cuddled his chest warmly as though he had the scarf on now, and while he was doing that other children said "There's this broken up teddy bear I have that I try to take of…" "I love these books…" "I could never let go of my cherished pillow…" All of them had different things to love, and it was very interesting to hear them all speak their minds from Kokoro's perspective…At least until they started getting so into it that it became overwhelming, which led to Keine stepping in with a stamp of an eraser on the desk.

The class stopped talking and looked back at Kokoro within due time, and after Keine gave her the urging nod Kokoro said "Well cherish those things then, and they will remember that happiness even if one day they do happen to become a Tsukumogami." Another child raised their hand and Kokoro answered with a gesture, giving them permission to say "Kokoro, what are you a tsukuma…tsukumogo…" When the child has difficult pronouncing that word he immediately switched to "What object were you before?"

Eyebrows raised, Kokoro answered politely "I was sixty-six masks made for the purpose of performing sixty-six plays…" She then displayed some of the masks she has in front of her, each of them carrying a spiritual blue fire around their forms. The class joined in a unified cry of awe as the room was illuminated, and Kokoro let their awe linger for a few seconds before leaving only her relaxed mask beside her face. "But I do not know much else besides that…" Kokoro lamented.

But that was what Keine was for, as her knowledge of history extended beyond most others in the village, and she said calmly "I do believe the story goes that it was our resident Crown Prince who created the sixty-six masks. Which by all means makes her your 'father'…Hehehe." Keine was making a joke, but Kokoro responded seriously with "But she is my father" and the mood of the room shifted in an instant.

Keine blinked a bit as her students began to murmur over that news, and quickly she had to fulfill her duty as a teacher by telling them "S-She means adopted father, class. May I remind you the Crown Prince is a woman…!" Kokoro added to Keine's remark by saying "Yes, that's how it is…Miko is my daddy, Byakuren is my mommy…" A student raised their hand and said in a puzzled tone "Aren't those two religious ene-"

"Kokoro…! If you have anything else to teach, now might be the time to bring it up." Keine said with some fluster in her voice, and after picking up on that the menreiki quickly got on subject and inquired "Are there anymore questions regarding tsukumogami?" There wasn't any, but rather one of the students commented "I-I would love to be able to talk to a tsukumogami of my most prized possession…Especially if they ended up as pretty as you are Kokoro…"

The menreiki blushed as she felt warmth in her heart, looking aside as the student then said "But you said they only become one after a long time of being abandoned? …I could never willingly do that, even if it would be cool. But now I can appreciate my possession as a friend, so thank you for telling me that, Kokoro." Back to normal in a snap, Kokoro said with a stutter "D-Don't mention it…Ummm…" Then she was at a loss on what to teach next to the children, and she faced Keine and said "I'm sorry…I wish I knew how to handle this."

Keine left the desk for a moment and leaned towards Kokoro, whispering to her "It's alright, the kids are enjoying having you around. You seem to have a few admirers amongst the crowd." She giggled while returning upright, and Kokoro looked towards the students and saw a few of them smiling her way, the most prominent being that of the strange blonde girl in the back. A part of Kokoro liked the attention, but remained humble and inquired "If there's anything else you'd like to ask me, you can do so as long as Ms. Keine permits it."

Keine smiled at that little detail and a student proceeded to raise their hand in the back, asking politely "Ms. Kokoro, I heard you are into Noh dances. Why is that?" After Keine gave the nod of approval on the inquiry Kokoro replied with confidence "See my face?" As she pointed towards the lack of any emotion she said "It is very difficult for me to express emotions alone, so Noh dances are my way of getting around that. Dancing in all forms is a way of expression, but I choose to focus on Noh because there's a part of me that remembers when my old owner used to dance that way."

Kokoro was really into her explanation without realizing it, and she drew her fans into her extended hands before waving them before her face. Widening her eyes, Kokoro then realized what she was doing and bowed forward, saying in an embarrassed tone "S-Sorry…I was just about to dance…" Keine however remarked with a smile "I don't see what would be the problem Kokoro. Many of these kids might not have seen a show of yours…You can always perform one dance. What do you say class?"

The students were unanimous in their urging, and thus Kokoro once more tried to set the mood for her dance by holding her arms out diagonally and saying "Then allow me to show you one of my first dances…'Hopeless Masquerade'…" While Keine moved the desk back to give Kokoro the room, the menreiki gave the students a performance they would never forget. Her young body moved around with the grace of an adult, her arms and her legs pausing so naturally into the proper poses she wanted while her masks handled other parts of the dance.

And the students were all quiet, enamored by this Youkai's beautiful performance that by the time she was done they were unaware that ten whole minutes had passed, and Keine was under that very same spell. Kokoro ended the dance by dispelling her fans and looking towards the class, who clapped one after the other while cheering her on, their voices getting so loud that some of it leaked outside, forcing Keine to calm them down with another hit of the eraser on the desk.

Looking at Kokoro, Keine then said "Thank you for the dance, Kokoro. It's obvious the class really enjoyed it." Kokoro bowed to the students, and some of them said "I want to see more of your dances!" "Please do more!" "I want to become a dancer someday too!" But their comments had to be stopped as Keine pointed out "If you wish to ask Kokoro for more dances, I'm sure she'll listen to those requests later, but I'm afraid we must move on now to another subject."

The class let out a prolonged "Aw" of disappointment, but Kokoro just looked to them and said politely "It was fun meeting all of you, I mean that…But please thank Ms. Keine for allowing me to come here." They all did so, followed by Keine chuckling with joy in her heart and saying "Now then, I will allow a ten minute break so I can speak to Kokoro for a moment, and then when you return I want you to open up your books to page 15 so we can discuss the moon."

After a few seconds of waiting for the students to leave and taking in their cheerful glances, Kokoro felt very good about herself and laid a hand to her chest as warmth filled her body, and with a small smile she looked to Keine as she said "It seems I cannot thank you enough for your help today, Kokoro." Keine laid a hand atop her desk and further commented with a smile "Perhaps I should take you under my wing and tutor you to be a teacher."

"W-Was I really that good? I-I'm not quite sure…" Kokoro had her doubts, some of which were cast aside when Keine raised a finger and remarked "No one is perfect their first time, but you do have it in you to teach…At least in my opinion. But I will leave you to think about that for now." Keine nodded her head enough to not disrupt her hat and said "It was a last-minute decision, but I do thank you for the help Kokoro. You are welcome to help out again, but just run it by me first, alright?"

Confused, Kokoro inquired "Was this really enough? I feel I should do more to apologize…" Shaking her head was Keine's response, followed by her pointing out "I do not need to be buttered up that much Kokoro. Be happy with what you did for me today and keep helping whoever you need to. That's the best advice I can give you as a teacher." Heeding those words in her heart, Kokoro said "I-I will try and do my best!" with voiced raised slightly.

"And that's the spirit you need to have. I hate to rush you out of here, but I AM still teaching for today." Keine pointed out while pulling out the right book for the next part of class. Kokoro thus politely bowed and said "T-Thank you for your time, Ms. Keine. I wish you a wonderful day." Kokoro then turned around and made her way out of the schoolhouse, pleased with her results so early into the day. As she looked to her next person to help for today, however, a familiar voice said "That was quite the interesting class, Kokoro."

Turning around, Kokoro was surprised by the blonde-haired girl standing close by with her parasol in hand again. The girl lightly smiled and said "If I were to be so kind, I'd say it was the most interesting class in a long while." Kokoro mustered up the courage to bluntly ask the girl "Please…Can you tell me who you are?" Holding a gloved hand to her chest, the girl said "My name? I suppose you could call me Kuriya Kumoya…"

The girl named Kuriya then held that hand out gracefully and asked "And if you would allow me to be so forward, I would like to be your friend, Hata no Kokoro." While the girl was honest with her intentions, there was still certainly something odd about her. Kokoro could only wonder just what the deal with her truly was…

 _Next Time: To be a Hero_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: A Little Girl's Premonition**

"Kuriya…Kumoya…?" Mimicked Kokoro, confusion present in her tone. She had never heard of such a girl, yet the girl seemed familiar with her even before the prior class. "I would assume you've never heard of me…That's quite alright, I am rarely a presence in this village." Kuriya drew her hand back since Kokoro was not open to shaking it and brushed her ponytail, elaborating calmly "Do you have any questions on that inquisitive young mind of yours?"

Kokoro flinched, shocked that the girl could read her emotionless face so easily, and with a cautious glare she said "Why do you want me to ask you questions?" A mature but docile smile crossed Kuriya's lips as she looked ahead "Answers can only exist if a question is presented…Mysteries cannot be solved without hints provided…The unknown cannot be understood if you fear to approach it…" was what she said while slowly leaning towards Kokoro.

Laying a finger on the direct center of the menreiki's chest, Kuriya looked into her eyes and held the parasol over her back. "So do you wish to understand me, Hata no Kokoro?" Kuriya's words and her delicate touch sent an odd chill through Kokoro's body, her skin raising goosebumps in response, but even so nothing was telling her to ignore this strange girl. Eyebrows raised, Kokoro made her motives clear "I-I'd like to know why you're interested in me…"

Kuriya backed off immediately and after a dainty spin that lightly coiled her dress the parasol was over her shoulder again and she said "How can I not be a little intrigued? It's not every day you get to hear of a Youkai that is willingly allowed within the Human Village. Though then again, I suppose tsukumogamis by nature never feast on humans to survive…" She continued her casual manner of speech, reminding Kokoro a lot of Remilia in her politer moments…But with a lot more maturity behind her posture and words.

Still, Kokoro felt she would get nowhere unless she was more direct, so she asked while Kuriya perked her head with intrigue "Kuriya, if you don't mind me asking…What are you doing in this village? Your clothes' don't look like they fit in with the rest of the villagers…" "And that's true…" Kuriya said while observing the glances of the curious adults around her, followed by her mentioning "As I said, I rarely come to this village. The reason being that I don't live here."

Before any further inquires were made, someone called out "Miss Kuriya, there you are." Kuriya glanced back and saw as a tall and beautiful woman wearing a silk dark blue robe and having a short blonde hair cut covered a bit by her rounded cap. Her eyes were a little beastly in appearance, but her gaze was motherly towards Kuriya. Kokoro made the immediate assumption "Is this your mommy…?" and Kuriya looked at her and said after a giggle "Calling her my mother figure would be more…apposite. She takes care of me inside of her personal domain."

"Is…Is she a Youkai?" Kokoro whispered to not attract attention, and the girl nodded her head. Needless to say Kokoro was surprised by that, but Kuriya gestured out and said "I am going to return home now…You can come with me if you want, Kokoro." With so many questions still plaguing her mind, Kokoro agreed without hesitation, which brought a smile to the girl's face before she faced her mother figure and said "We can return now, if you're ready."

"Of course, Miss Kuriya." The woman said with a short nod, her sleeves in front of her head.. The woman then turned around and all three of them walked to the edge of the village, where the woman waited for not a single human to be in sight before pulling out an odd curved needle and poking the fabric of reality in front of her to slowly rip open a vibrant gap, and as the woman goes through Kuriya looks to Kokoro and says politely "After you, Hata no Kokoro." She bows and steps aside, and while staying cautious Kokoro walks into the portal.

Time and space warp around her a bit, making her feel a little woozy as she steps out the other side without any time passing. As Kuriya comes through behind, Kokoro gets a grip and looks at where she ended up, finding a rather light veil of fog across the landscape in front of her. There were many houses like the ones in the human village, but not a single inhabitant could be found. It was very quiet, unnaturally so, and until the strange woman lit a blue-flame lamp to cast aside most of the fog around her it was hard to see clearly. Kuriya stood before Kokoro as she was consumed with confusion and said "Welcome to the Mayohiga, the village between worlds."

Kokoro looks at the girl and blinked as she twirled around and advanced forward with an air of nonchalance around her. "This is…your home?" Kokoro asked, Kuriya replying quickly "It has been for most of my life, ever since I wandered into Gensokyo." Kuriya saw Kokoro's puzzled expression and once more was quick to respond "But if you would be so kind, I would like to wait until we got to my home before we do anymore questions. Go on ahead, Kokoro and I shall catch up soon." The second sentence was clearly directed to the woman, who nods and quietly and swiftly vanishes from sight.

"Come along now!" Kuriya said with some energy before trodding along, Kokoro following close behind. Throughout their short journey, Kokoro kept focusing on the houses and how empty they were, and Kuriya was able to identify her curiosity with a glance back. "Who knows why this place has houses…Not even the one who takes care of me knows the truth. But save for one, all of them look the same, so it's easy to find my home."

A gesture out is all it takes for Kuriya to draw Kokoro's attention to a large abode, a building shaped like a large "L" that's decorated with fancy red eaves and had a dragon-like pattern on it's walls. It also had a visibly vibrant garden that definitely stood out within the fog, especially with the blue flame lamps surrounding it. In the center of the garden was a fancy glass table adorned with a pearly cloth, and the mysterious woman had tea already poured in a couple of ceramic cups as the two girls approached.

The woman backed off and pulled a chair out for Kuriya, offering to take her parasol only for the girl to decide instead to keep it laid against the back of her chair. The woman then swiftly ended up behind Kokoro and pulled her chair out, remarking quietly "You may ask for whatever dessert you desire, as the honored guest of Miss Kuriya I insist you do so." The woman then vanished without a trace as Kokoro looked back, followed by Kuriya guiding her attention with "I would recommend the Lemon Tarts, but you can do what you wish."

Kuriya lifted the tea cup up and took a sip with a serene look on her face, and Kokoro said dryly "How can I even ask for dessert if she left?" The woman then suddenly returned and placed cupcake in front of Kokoro, with sprinkles put on to make it look like Kokoro's face, with the strawberry frosting acting as her hair. Kokoro was flabbergasted as the woman bowed and fled once more. "Well I believe that's one mystery solved…" Kuriya said with quiet jolliness before placing the cup onto her plate.

Kokoro glanced at Kuriya, who laid her hands atop her legs and said "You should really have a little tea first, Kokoro." As the menreiki looked at the cup Kuriya explained "It's an oolong blend…The leaves were hand-picked from the Tengu gardens, and the spices were divinely mined from the Underground itself. The territories may be opposites, but their foods blend together to create a single, absolutely PERFECT whole." There was certainly some hints of enthusiasm, but she kept calmly mostly.

Kokoro took the cup to her lips and sipped the tea, quickly becoming enamored by it's rich and divine flavor, exactly as Kuriya described it to be. Kokoro's young taste buds adapted to any tiny flaws the tea might have, and she was able to swallow it with a joyous hum. Due to how hot it was though, Kokoro had to hold off on having more for now. Thankfully, she had a nice cold cupcake to compliment her tea, and she took a bite of that without hesitation. Kuriya said "My my, you are certainly enjoying yourself" as she observed Kokoro stuffing her face with the cupcake that looked like her face.

The cupcake was gone in a matter of seconds, impressing Kuriya a little as Kokoro let out a cute burp and immediately put her hand on her mouth in embarrassment. Kuriya chuckled and said "No need to feel embarrassed, you are around understanding company." Kokoro looked at the girl and slowly moved her hand away, remembering what she had been wanting to say as the quiet chill in this realm finally gripped her again. "Kuriya…What's with this place? Why do you live here instead of the Human Village?" Kokoro bluntly inquired.

"Ah, so now we return to our conversation. A pity, I thought you wouldn't be direct so soon…" Kuriya said, laying her cup down before brushing one of her ponytails and commenting "Mayohiga is, as I said, the village between worlds…Specifically, it borders between Gensokyo and the outside world." "The…outside world?" The concept was familiar to Kokoro, having met a strange girl from there not long ago. Kuriya affirmatively nodded her head and glanced aside to the fog drenched landscape.

"If Gensokyo is a fantasy made real, and the outside world is reality made fantasy…Then I suppose you could call this place the net that filters the two concepts and decides what gets to stay and leave. When something is forgotten in the outside world, it passes through here on it's way to Gensokyo before materializing as a Youkai or perhaps something else entirely…Likewise, something that is forgotten in Gensokyo reincarnates into a new idea within the outside world. And thus the process repeats time and time again…"

Kuriya realized she was getting a little winded with her explanation and smiled at Kokoro, meeting her puzzled expression with a response of "Or so my caretaker told me…" "So…then I passed through here once before without knowing it…?" Kokoro was puzzled even as she tried to put together what was said, but Kuriya gave a nod and brandished a hand before stating "I'd imagine it was before you became a tsukumogami, but what would I know? That would be before my time…"

Kuriya's chuckle was intertwined with Kokoro asking "How long have you been here for though?" There was a swift response as though the girl had the question predicted ahead of time "Since I was very young…Can't remember the exact age. Kokoro, how old would you figure yourself to look to be?" It was an odd inquiry, but Kokoro replied "Ummm…" She didn't exactly have a good idea to go on, since most of the people she hung around were hundreds of years old.

"Maybe…14?" Kokoro muttered unconfidently, and Kuriya said "Then perhaps I would be the same age. What I'm trying to get at though is another nature of the Mayohiga. You see, for it to be a 'net' between realms, it would make sense for there to be an entrance and an exit point. In the outside world, there is a worn down copy of Hakurei Shrine around where Gensokyo used to be before the barrier was erected. On occasion, things that end up around there get dragged to Mayohiga itself. Lost items, toys…humans especially. And I am one of those humans who got dragged here by accident."

"Hmmm…?" Kokoro paid close attention with interest on her mind as Kuriya further explained "Let me make one thing clear…Humans who end up in Mayohiga can be quite unlucky. More often than not, they are eaten alive the moment they wander into Gensokyo, even if given proper warnings. Others wander into the Human Village and take sanctuary there…I am the lone exception, as the caretaker of Mayohiga, the Blue-Flame Reaper Kitsune, seemed to take pity on me…And allowed me to stay here."

"How nice of her…" Kokoro said honestly, but then inquired "But isn't it hard to stay here with just a single Youkai? Don't you get…lonely?" Kuriya chuckled at her guest's empathetic plight and said "I don't think I could ever really relate to many others, given my circumstances. But I do occasionally like to leave Mayohiga and see what's going on in Gensokyo…Otherwise, my information comes from my caretaker."

"Now comes the part where I address 'Kuriya, why are you interested in me'? Do you remember that question, Kokoro?" The menreiki nodded her head, and Kuriya was clearly pleased in the way she smiled and leaned forward while putting her elbows atop the table. "During my time of listening about Gensokyo, I heard of a particular tsukumogami who had caused two incidents, but yet was as kind as could be. I thought that was quite peculiar, so I had my caretaker look more into it. A kind Youkai is odd enough, but surely they couldn't be responsible for any incidents?"

Kokoro looked aside in embarrassment towards herself, but Kuriya went on merrily with "And yet the oddest thing was not that the stories were true, but that both times you fixed up the messes made. You defeated the three religious leaders who had fool heartedly used the chaos to their advantage, and you stopped the Celestial who had manipulated you." This cheered Kokoro up as she was shocked by the girl's praise, followed by Kuriya commenting "There's just something I find…fascinating about that. I've heard of many incidents, but none of them resolved by the person that caused them in the first place."

Kokoro was puzzled by that, leading to Kuriya elaborating "The immature vampire, the specter of the Netherworld, the Lunarians to name a few…But I could go on that for a while based on what I heard from my caretaker, and I know you want me to move on." Kokoro nodded her head and the girl moved on to say while laying her hands down "Tell me Kokoro, how did you feel about solving those incidents? How do you feel in general about helping others?"

"H-Huh?" Kokoro had to compose herself from the surprise she felt, and she looked around while fidgeting in confusion. Kuriya was patient though, even as it took a minute before Kokoro could say "Umm…I-I just like helping others. Even when everyone else tried their best to help me cope without the Mask of Hope, mommy was the only one who I sensed feeling genuine about it…M-Maybe she's my inspiration for wanting to help others, and so I suppose…" her heart then starts to beat warmly against her chest, while Kuriya commented "You feel good solving incidents because it leads to less conflict, perhaps?"

Kokoro, hands clenched against her chest, stared blankly at Kuriya and said with some uncertainty "Y-Yes? I-I mean…" "There's no need to feel embarrassed about that. Can I share a truth with you, Kokoro?" Kuriya said before suddenly getting off her chair, taking her parasol over her shoulder as she walked around the table and continued to say "The reason, perhaps, that I have difficulty relating with others is all a matter of preference…"

Kuriya looks to the sky and says "Let us both be real, many people in Gensokyo can be quite selfish…Specifically it's major players like the Hakurei shrine maiden and the vampire. So because of that someone like you, a selfless Youkai, is quite refreshing to see." Kuriya offered Kokoro her hand to get off the chair, and the menreiki complied while staring at the girl's complex expression. "Between your selfless behavior, desire to remove conflict, and friendly if not timid demeanor…Perhaps it would be apt to call you a hero…?"

Kuriya's comment left Kokoro reeling back in surprise, followed by Kuriya laying a finger against her lips and whispering "Or rather, you have the makings of one. I suppose I shouldn't be so quick to label you that, my apologies." After a sincere nod, Kuriya turned around while Kokoro stuttered "A-A hero? M-Me?" She looked at herself nervously with her fists clenched and murmured "…I-I don't think that's right…I've made some very bad decisions…Some mistakes I'm still trying to fix…"

"Just like any other hero, I would be so bold to say." Glancing over her shoulder, Kuriya smiled as Kokoro looked her in the eyes, only for the girl to once more face the sky and comment "Sometimes stories pass through the dimensions to Mayohiga as well…They tell of heroes out there who can bend the elements to their wills, of machines with the free will to face the war of mavericks with duty to the humans in their hearts, and even of simple plumbers who stand against the tyranny of those who would harm the peace of the planet they love. Heroes come in many shapes and sizes, they have different hopes and dreams, and they all make mistakes just like the common folk around them. Mistakes are what bind heroes to their humanity, even if they are gods…"

Kuriya turned to face Kokoro and said "Or a Youkai like you." This made Kokoro perk up for a moment, though she once again looked aside and doubted her ability to be a hero. Kuriya picked up on that even without the menreiki emoting and said "Follow me Kokoro, I want to show you something." Kuriya then walked towards her house without Kokoro responding, confident in the menreiki following her out of the curiosity she had shown before. Kokoro walked slowly after Kuriya as she made it to the porch and pushed aside the shutter, dust falling down to the ground in a cloud that they wait to pass before entering.

Kuriya strolls through the room, stepping over some broken crates until she walks past a cloth covering what looked to be a fancy mirror. She then twirled around and held a hand up to stop Kokoro, mentioning "Give me a second" before pulling that cloth right to the ground without disrupting the mirror behind it. Kuriya then used the front of one of her shoes to mark an "X" in the dust in front of the mirror, asking "Please step here Kokoro and look at the mirror."

"What is this mirror?" Kokoro inquired, gazing towards the gilded gold frame that wrapped around the mirror itself, which could reflect the image of even the tallest person in Gensokyo. Kuriya, eyelids closed, responded "This is-" but stops herself with a shake of her head and saying in a ditzy tone "This is one mystery you can solve by looking into the mirror. I'll tell you more afterwards."

Kuriya stepped aside so Kokoro could stand in front of the mirror, but the menreiki approaches it slowly because something still didn't sit right with her. However, as she finally glanced at the mirror, she could not have imagined seeing what she saw at that moment. She was looking at herself, of course, but the reflection was not a perfect match. The her in the mirror was a few inches taller, with longer and prettier hair, her figure being a little fuller but her clothes remaining the same just adjusted to fit her more mature size, with the skirt being long enough to be a full on dress gown.

However, what struck Kokoro's attention the most was the fact that the expression of the her in the mirror showed surprise all on her own, no masks were needed to get that across. Kokoro stood there looking at her maturer self for a few seconds, frozen and unable to comprehend what was going on until she decided to test something. Lifting her fingers to her cheeks, Kokoro tried to think about smiling as hard as she could, and her in the mirror cracked a genuine smile right in tune with Kokoro's thoughts.

Poking at her cheeks near the edges of her mirror self's smile, Kokoro could actually feel a smile there even though she shouldn't normally. Kokoro tried a frown while keeping the fingers in place, and she could feel the mouth move. She quickly went back to a smile and stared at it for a few seconds, and she indulged in a bit of innocent narcissism as she thought about how cute her smile looked. However, her examination came to an end when a woman with a purple ribbon covered dress, long blonde hair, and a large parasol similar to Kuriya's appears in the mirror behind the "reflection" of Kokoro. "My my, what a charming smile you have, Kokoro." The person said gently, and in shock Kokoro turned around only to find Kuriya standing behind her looking just as she always does. The feeling of the smile Kokoro had was now gone as well, and she rubbed her face while missing that sensation already.

"W-What was that?" Kokoro inquired while staring blankly at Kuriya, who drew her hand out and said "What you just gazed into was the Mirror of Future Desires. It shows the future of a person who gazes into it based on what they desire, even if it's deep within their subconscious. You saw your future self within that reflection, Kokoro." Kokoro glanced back at the mirror to see her older self there again, with Kuriya stating "And you know what I get from that reflection? That someday, you shall be a hero…A hero that has undone all conflict in Gensokyo and been given a reason to smile all the time on your own, no masks to restrain you."

Kokoro looked to her future self in the mirror and began to walk towards it, drawn by the desire to feel a smile on her own again. But Kuriya stepped forth and grabbed her raised arm, commenting gently "I would advise against that" and after getting the menreiki back away from the mirror she smiled and commented "The flaw in the mirror is that it's very alluring to look at. The closer you are when you look at it, the stronger the pull, get too close and you will be consumed by the reflection entirely" brushing aside her ponytail she added "…or so the legend says."

"It…It felt so good though…Like I was really my future self for a moment…I could feel the smile on my face…" Kokoro said in melancholy as she once more feels her face, but Kuriya lays a hand down atop of one of hers and points out "It shows just how easy it is for the mirror to trick someone." Kuriya casually flipped her parasol around to throw the cloth back onto the mirror just so Kokoro wouldn't be lured anymore. "So…What do you think? Are you a little more accepting of the idea of becoming a hero?"

Kuriya's inquiry was met with a distant stare from Kokoro, who then looked away and said with a stutter "I-I don't know still…" "I suppose it's something to keep in mind then, Kokoro. I am putting my faith in whatever decision you make." Kuriya said, and after a pause where Kokoro gazed at her puzzled the girl said "I have nothing else to really say at the moment though. I imagine you have some things you wish to take of back in Gensokyo before the morning light drops from the sky, so perhaps we can pick up this conversation another time."

"W-What?" Was all Kokoro had a chance to say before the strange woman appeared behind her and a gust from an opening rift blew Kokoro's hair forward. The woman stepped aside as the menreiki turned and said "I hope you have enjoyed your time here, Hata no Kokoro." Kokoro looked back at Kuriya for a moment, still left with a few questions on her mind, but decided she's pursue them later. "I-I'll think about what you said, Kuriya…" She remarked before making her way through the portal, which is shut with a wave of the woman's hand.

When Kokoro was gone, the woman takes her hat off to reveal a pair of fox ears and comments "Well Lady Yukari, it seems things have gone smoothly so far." It turns out the 'Blue-Flame Reaper Kitsune' was actually Ran, and this means Kuriya could only be Yukari Yakumo. Yukari looked at Ran and said "To some extent it did. This is only the first part of my plan, after all. You would be wise to remember that Ran. Now the next step is up to you. Plant the thing I created within the Tengu newspaper, and make sure it is sent out without a hitch."

"I shall do that without fail, Lady Yukari." Ran bowed and then turned, opening another rift with the needle given to her, and Yukari turns to face the mirror. She pulls the cloth down and stands very close to it, but this time when she looks into it she sees something different. Her real self stood there with the shadow of another girl standing behind her, her back turned but her clothes clearly being a pale-blue blouse and blue-purple skirts, while she wears a white mob cap atop her blonde hair. Yukari looked down and saw a couple chains stuck through her body and the girl's as well.

In a matter of seconds the chains were consumed with fire along with the girl behind her, and a boy with fiery red eyes and a frightening grin crept up behind Yukari, who docilely closed her eyes and looked away from the mirror without being lured by it's vision. "So it seems we're still moving forward with these events yet again…Shall the fantasizing girl ever truly break free from these chains of fate? Or will she forever be a Phantasm drifting through history's infinitely repeating cycle of death and destruction? Show her a way free of these chains if you can, Kokoro…" Yukari said before moving her young body through a gap…

 _Next Time: The Headless Wonder_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: An Odd Guest at the Temple**

Kokoro is returned to the Human Village through the rift, unaware of just how much time has passed if it has done so at all. She looks back at the now shut rift and then thinks to herself _"That was so strange…"_ but she is also thinking about what she saw in the mirror and the words Kuriya left her with. Kokoro laid a hand on her chest and murmured "Could I…really be a hero…?" Every doubt imaginable was on Kokoro's moment, but she shook her head and said "I-I really don't know…" and tried to not think about it for now.

It was hard though as she kept seeing that image of her possible older self in her head, and the genuine smile she was able to show. "But I looked so…pretty…Like mommy and daddy…" Kokoro blinked a couple times then lightly slapped the sides of her face to stop being entranced by her future self. The sounds of the humans in the village nearby drew Kokoro's attention, and she remembered she needed to help others still today. To distract herself from what just happened, Kokoro returned to the village and began thinking her next move over.

Her head was lowered and she was deep in thought, so much so that she's lucky to have not bumped into anyone at first. _"How many people do I still need to apologize to…?"_ She reviewed everyone from the incident she was involved in and cut out some options based on who would be really dangerous to visit alone, such as Yuuka and Shikieiki, but that left her with people she wasn't certain about handling quite yet. _"I don't want to make any mistakes…I have to do this the right way. I can't make things any worse…"_

She was stressing herself out thinking about, not helped when she's reminded of Kuriya's comment about heroes making mistakes. She paused and slapped her face again a couple times, earning the odd glare from some of the humans that she was unaware of as she looked up towards the sky and whispered "…Maybe I need to stop kidding myself…" "Kidding yourself about what, Kokoro?" A familiar voice spoke out to her, and Kokoro hears her humored chuckle as she turns around.

It was the human disguised tanuki, Mamizou, who was wearing her usual human clothes, complete with tan coat and checkered scarf. With a tiny smile, Mamizou looked at Kokoro through her glasses and awaited her response. Kokoro instead said "Granny Mami!" in a happy tone. Mamizou was a little taken aback by the nickname but said calmly nevertheless "I wasn't expecting to find you here. I thought you'd be with your mother."

Kokoro shook her head and said "N-Not today Mami, I came here to make amends with some of the people I wronged during my…Well…" Mamizou picked up on Kokoro's nervous cues and said with a snap of her fingers "Of course, of course, you are helping others. I should've remembered that. My poor old mind is not so reliable these days." After the tanuki poked fun at herself Kokoro looked at her directly and asked "Why are you here, Mami?"

Mamizou nudged her glasses to give them a glimmer and said "Oh nothing much, just here to visit a friend in the village. But since we've run into each other, perhaps I could help you out a bit with your apologies…It's a granny's role to help after all." Kokoro surprised the tanuki by shaking her head and saying "I'm sorry Mami…But this is something I have to do by myself." Though the tanuki then grinned and said "Very well, I can respect that. But it seems you were thinking about something else before I interrupted, perhaps I can help you with that."

"N-No that's ok…!" Kokoro said while waving her hands, followed by Mamizou resting a hand on her chin and commenting "Oh? Is it perhaps something personal?" As Kokoro stuttered nervously Mamizou winked and said "Handling your own secrets, wanting to help others…Fufufu, it seems the menreiki is growing up fast." When Kokoro lets out a peep of embarrassment, Mamizou responds by playfully rubbing the top of her head.

"I'm just messing with you Kokoro." Mamizou mentioned, and once she pulled back she put her hands into her sleeves and added "But while you're wanting to help others, you don't have to necessarily restrict yourself to those you affected with your powers. In fact, I can think of someone in the village who you should be able to help out." Kokoro wondered who it was, and Mamizou answered with "She's a bit of a loner, probably unnecessarily so…I was thinking perhaps you'd be able to get her to open up a little."

Kokoro whispered "So she's a Youkai?" The tanuki nodded her head and said with a gesture out "You'd recognize her as the only purely red-haired person in the village…If her odd clothes weren't also a giveaway. Oh, and she doesn't bite, so don't worry about pissing her off…Not that I can't imagine you doing that anyways, Kokoro." Mamizou gave a wink to the menreiki as she nodded her head and said "I'll try and find this person then, Mami. Thank you very much!"

As the menreiki turned around and went on her way, Mamizou pulled out her pipe from her sleeves and took a quick smoke before saying "That'll keep her busy for a bit…Sorry Kokoro, but I can't have you around me for a bit." The tanuki then quietly entered a nearby house that was filled with hundreds of scrolls archived within wood diamond shelves, and bamboo stalks and bonsai trees were planted around the place given it a very oriental feel. Inside were two people Mamizou knew, the historian scribe Hieda no Akyuu, and the spirited young bibliophile Kosuzu Motoori.

As Mamizou entered by parting the curtain, Kosuzu, wearing her usual red-white checkered shirt, yellow apron and green dress skirt, turned to her and said in a joyous tone "Miss Mamizou!" She held a bundle of books in her arms as she ran up to the tanuki, as usual being unaware of her true nature in contrast to Akyuu, who cautiously glanced at Mamizou and said "Well well if it isn't Futatsuiwa. Whatever brings you to my home today?"

Mamizou slyly glared at the scribe, who was wearing her usual yellow, green and orange oriental robe and had a pinkish flower on the side of her purple hair, and said politely "You appear to be healthy today Ms. Historian…As are you, Kosuzu." As the tanuku looked down at her, Kosuzu blushed and smiled, but Akyuu held a scroll up towards Mamizou and said "I suppose there's a reason you're here. I hope you aren't disguising your intentions." Akyuu's wit was in full bloom, as expected, but Mamizou just grinned lightly and commented "I suppose I won't pull punches today. There's something I require of you…A particular scroll that the first Child of Miare created."

As Mamizou was left dealing with Kosuzu and Akyuu's confusion, we find Kokoro wandering the strees of the Human Village in search of "the red haired loner" as Mamizou described her. At the very least, focusing on helping this person relieved Kokoro's stress regarding the others, and she assumed that was Mamizou's intention. _"She's always been a good grandmother…"_ Kokoro thought as she looked around for the Youkai amongst the humans, a task surprisingly harder than one could imagine despite how she should stand out.

Kokoro paused in the center of town and looked around some more, noticing something odd towards the food vendors in the south. A hint of red hair could be seen amidst the crowd, so Kokoro ran that way to try and find the person. It was crowded enough that she had to carefully weave her way through, but eventually she found a big enough opening to get a clear view of the red hair she had seen before. It belonged to a person wearing a black cloak and short red skirt, with a tall collar attached to the top of a long red cape that covered the lower half of her head.

The girl was carrying a small paper bag with food inside as evidenced by how it was weighed down, and as Kokoro approached she thought _"This must be her…"_ Kokoro walked close behind the girl and tried to come up with the right words to say, but the girl's Youkai nature allowed her to smell Kokoro's presence ahead of time and she suddenly came to a stop. Kokoro walked into her and bounced back after letting out a surprised grunt, with the girl saying "Ok, why exactly are you trailing me?"

The girl turned around and raised an eyebrow upon seeing Kokoro, wondering calmly "…Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" while Kokoro just shook her head in response. "Well then I repeat…Why are you trailing me?" The girl was a little more blunt this time, but still kept her cool. It was hard for Kokoro to tell how the girl was feeling due to her mouth being covered up, so she decided to find out more about her by asking "Ummm…Hello there. Are you the 'red-haired loner' Mamizou mentioned?"

The girl's eyes widened a bit and she turned around, whispering bitterly "Oh great, that darn tanuki is involved in this…" before turning back and saying "So you know Mamizou, huh? Yeah, I guess we've met before, but I wouldn't exactly call her anything more than a one-time acquaintance. What exactly does she want from me, kid?" Fond words weren't spoken from the girl's mouth, but Kokoro just chalked that up to her loner nature and asked "She wanted me to come talk to you…She said that maybe I could help you find a friend…?"

Kokoro acted nervous because she still had no idea what the girl was thinking, but the girl raised her eyebrows and said "Floating masks, lack of emotion, a crippling amount of naivety…Now I get it, you're Hata no Kokoro." The girl was once again blunt even as she recognizes Kokoro, followed by her then mentioning "My name's Sekibanki, and quite frankly I really don't need friends. The tanuki wasted your time." Sekibanki turned around and prepared to walk off, but Kokoro kept following her and said "I can't believe anyone doesn't want to be alone…Even if they are a You-"

Sekibanki suddenly twitched and turned around, dropping her bag and putting a hand to Kokoro's mouth to her surprise. "Look kid, no one here knows my true identity. I'm not accepted like you are, so you might want to seal your mouth before I seal it for you!" This was all said with a blunt glare and a fierce quietness, but needless to say Sekibanki had to stop because she was drawing the attention of the humans. As the Youkai picks up her bag of food, Kokoro dryly said "I think I know why you're alone…"

"Look, you want to continue this conversation, we're doing it outside the village. Then at least you won't carelessly out me to the others…" Sekibanki says quietly, then she starts to head for the edge of the village while murmuring to herself about getting back at Mamizou later. Kokoro follows her out of the village, and after Sekibanki leans against a tree and pulls an apple from her bag she says "Alright kid, let me just make one thing clear…" while chomping the apple whole with her fangs Sekibanki said while casually glancing at her company "I'm not someone you can convince to take part in that crappy 'friendship conquers all' mentality. You can either stop now, or you'll be having a bad time if you keep pestering me."

Even against that threat Kokoro stood her ground and said "I'm not afraid of you…Cause I don't think you have it in you to hurt me. You're hanging around with humans, you must be kind deep down." Raising her eyebrows Sekibanki bluntly said "THAT'S what you take away from what I'm doing? Man, you just created a new notch on the naivety meter kid…" Pulling away from the tree she followed up by saying "It's just how I'm choosing to live. I don't really care much for humans, but I can't stay a pure Youkai after I rejected my bloodlust."

A glare from the Youkai showed a little more for Kokoro this time, as Kokoro could feel a bit of emptiness from her that wasn't present before. Sekibanki looked away and said "So yeah, you can keep following me around, but it's not going to be a good idea if you keep it up." Sekibanki began to head back to the village, but Kokoro was struck by inspiration as she remembered something Byakyren said. _"There'll be Youkai out there who are lost and confused…If so, bring them to me and I will try and help them out, Kokoro."_ Those words echoed as Kokoro stamped her foot down to Sekibanki's surprise and exclaimed "Wait!"

Sekibanki glanced over her shoulder as Kokoro clenched a fist against her chest and said "I-I don't want to give up on you…I don't think anyone should be alone…So please, allow me this one chance to help you out." Kokoro then held her hand out, offering to her "Come with me to the Myouren Temple, and mommy can help you figure yourself out. You don't have to be confused." Sekibanki recognized the name of the temple and scowled, wondering just how serious Kokoro was with that statement. But when the Youkai glared at Kokoro, she saw a fiery passion buried deep within those emotionless eyes of hers and could tell that her determination to help would not be extinguished so easily.

After a sigh Sekibanki raised her brows and said "Look kid, I'll give what you're suggesting a try, but if it doesn't work out then I want you to promise me you'll let it be, alright?" Kokoro quickly nodded her head, and Sekibanki told her with some bluntness "Alright then, take me to this crazy temple of yours. Better to just get this over with…" The Youkai mumbled that last part to herself while glancing aside, and then she followed Kokoro out of the village until they were far enough to not be sighted by any humans so they could then take flight to the Myouren Temple.

Along the way, Sekibanki inquired "So kid, what exactly did that tanuki say to convince you to try and help me?" Kokoro replies while looking back "I'm wanting to help people out cause…Well…I-I feel I've made some mistakes and want to make amends to the people I've wronged. I'm helping you because…Ummm…" "You mean you don't even know?" Sekibanki dryly says in response to Kokoro's fidgeting nervousness.

As Kokoro shook her head Sekibanki sighed and said "Well then I guess you can say you're doing to owe up for me having to deal with that crazy religious war fad your Mask of Hope shenanigans caused." It still carried bluntness, but that was a rather nice thing for Sekibanki to say regardless. Kokoro thanked the Youkai for that and she just glanced aside and said "Don't mention it, seriously" before the two finally made it to the Myouren Temple.

Sekibanki couldn't believe she was going through with this as she stood before the entrance to the sacred place, but just sighed and chose to bear it out, thinking it wouldn't last too long. As Kokoro walked towards the temple she saw three people around, Kyouko, Nue, and another young Youkai with turquoise hair that carried around a purple umbrella with a lone eye on it and a tongue sticking out. She is Kogasa Tatara, a tsukumogami much like Kokoro, and she's currently wearing a blue-green vest with white sleeve and a light blue skirt while taking part in a conversation between the other two Youkai.

Though the conversation ends when Kyouko's ears perk upon hearing Kokoro coming, and she excitedly yelps "Kokoro! Hey! Good morning!" and is also the first to run over and grab her both hands to shake them as her greeting, with Kokoro still not able to handle the yamabiko's energy and saying awkwardly "H-Hi Kyouko." Kyouko then notices Sekibanki and says "Who's the new friend?!" merrily with eager eyes.

Nue floats up and raised her eyebrows in intrigued as though she recognized Sekibanki, and thus kept her mouth shut and grinned while Kyouko stood before the Youkai while receiving a response of "Friend? You're getting a little a-HEAD of yourself here kid…I'm just going along with the menreiki's crazy plans today." The Youkai's sneaky pun didn't go noticed by anyone but Nue, and Kokoro explains "I'm trying to help her make friends…Mamizou said she's a loner. So I thought maybe mommy might be able to help her out too…"

"Oh, Miss Hijiri isn't around right now, sorry Kokoro…I think she said she'd back close to nighttime." Kyouko commented, and Kokoro let out a sigh of disappointment before looking back at Sekibanki, noticing for a moment that Kogasa was attempting to try something from behind. Kokoro paused as Kogasa leaped up from a crouching position and exclaimed "Surprise!" at the top of her lungs. Sekibanki surprisingly flinched and froze in place, leading Kogasa to triumphantly pump her fist and hop off the ground while saying "I did it!"

But then something odd starts happening with Sekibanki's head, as it starts to roll back, detaching from the neck and plopping right onto the ground with a blank and lifeless look in the eyes. Kogasa freezes along with Kyouko, with Kogasa stuttering "I-I wasn't trying to scare someone's head off…!" and being filled with an overwhelming sense of guilt all at once. But then the head starts wiggling, replacing Kogasa's guilt with fright as it turns around while putting on a fanged grin, and Kogasa starts stammering in fright and tensing up as the head lifts off the ground and says in a forcibly eerie voice "You have awakened me…The spirit of the dullahan…"

The head rises up towards Kogasa while projecting an eerie flame around itself, inching closer as the umbrella girl's fright grows louder, and the head stuck out it's tongue and licked the side of Kogasa's neck while saying "Now…I shall take your head as my compensation…" Kogasa immediately bent down and hide herself inside of her umbrella, trembling so much that she was being moved around by her vibrations, while Sekibanki's eyes went back into place and she started laughing.

"Hahaha! If nothing else this was worth the trip!" Sekibanki proudly proclaimed, and as Kokoro turns and sees Nue laughing and Kyouko flat on her back unconscious from fright she wondered if this was a good idea or not. But putting faith into Mamizou's trust, Kokoro looked at Sekibanki and boldly inquired "Did you really have to do that to her?" Sekibanki reattached her head and said as it turned "Come on it's just a little prank. No harm done."

Kokoro firmly stood her ground and said "Kogasa doesn't like to be frightened herself. She's got self-confidence issues about that. That's the first step you have to learn Sekibanki…If you want friends, you have to understand what others are like." Nue just stood up on her UFO and holding her trident behind her she said tauntingly "You're talking about Sekibanki here Kokoro. I heard the rumors. She abandoned her own kind, that's pretty big on the 'I want to be a loner' scale. You'd be performing an impossible miracle to get her to have any friends. No offense, dullahan."

"None taken." Sekibanki said with her eyes shut, followed by Kokoro looking at Nue and saying "I get it might be tough, but please…Can you help me with this Nue? Mamizou wanted this to work out for a reason, so if mommy isn't around…" Nue grinned and interrupted "Eh you don't need to guilt trip me. If Mamizou's got some faith in this, I'll listen to her. I also got a little humor out of this, so it's all good."

Sighing, Sekibanki said "Still going to try, eh?" Kokoro firmly nodded her head, but then looked to the ground and said "Ummm…But first I need to get Kyouko and Kogasa unspooked…" "Right right, can't do this without these two." Nue said sarcastically but then went over to Kogasa to help her out, while Sekibanki just paid attention closely, curious to see just what type of things Kokoro would try to get her to accept friendship.

Once the fainted Youkai are back on their feet, Kokoro decided to do something rather surprising. Instead of trying really hard to get Sekibanki to accept friendship, she decided to just let things go about normally at the temple. Sekibanki stayed observant the entire time as the Youkai did things like talk to each other, handle cleaning the temple grounds, and just having an overall casual sort-of day. And yet despite all that, Sekibanki didn't voice any complaints, keeping to herself the entire time.

A part of her seemed interested in what was going on, the other part of her confused how Youkai could enjoy this temple life. Kokoro say her reactions every now and then, and even the naïve menreiki could tell what she was thinking. Sekibanki stuck around until the sun began to set, when Kyouko, Kogasa, Nue and Kokoro were at the front of the temple laughing at a conversation they just finished. By that point she whispered "Hmmm…perhaps I was wrong about this temple…" and she tried to sneak off so Kokoro couldn't question her.

An effort that failed as the menreiki happened to catch her at the gate, and quickly she ran up to her and said "Where are you going Sekibanki?" The dullahan paused and replied quietly "Kokoro…That's your name, right? Let me make it clear, I'm never going to be able to get over my loner tendecies." Kokoro was disappointed to hear that only until Sekibanki said "But that doesn't mean…I wouldn't mind coming back to this temple to hear how things are going, perhaps…"

This filled Kokoro's heart with joy, and she cracked a tiny smile that Sekibanki glances at as she looks over her shoulder. "Heh, so you are able to show a little emotion on your own. How about that…" Sekibanki then continued to head away from the temple while Kokoro thanked her for coming, which made the dullahan smile behind her collar. As she was leaving the temple though, Byakuren was returning through the forest, now wearing her black and white priestess dress.

As Sekibanki passed she gave her a short glance and cast aside her disdain for the Buddhist to whisper "If nothing else, you raised a good kid." Byakuren paused and looked back in bewilderment, but by then Sekibanki had already gone into the shadows. The Buddhist went back to her temple and saw Kokoro at the gate, asking her calmly "Kokoro…Who was that Youkai?"

Kokoro replied "She's Sekibanki…Mamizou told me to try and help her make friends." Byakuren looked at her with a half-smile and inquired intently "And did it work out?" Kokoro's nod was more than enough of an answer, though she did also add "I would like to believe it did."

"It was kind of you to try regardless of whether it worked or not. Still, I was not expecting to hear from you today, Kokoro." Byakuren pointed out, though not in a bad manner. Kokoro nodded her head and then realized what time it was, causing her to panic a little and remark "O-Oh no! It's almost time for dinner at the Scarlet Devil Mansion!" Humorously, Byakuren said "Though in the case of a vampire, it'd be a breakfast."

Bowing her head quickly, Kokoro said "I'm sorry mother, I have to make our visit short today!" "Do not worry about it, you're just keeping to your commitments. As your mother, I always keep my temple open to visit for you." Byakuren replied caringly, and Kokoro quickly flew off to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, wondering if her appearance is presentable enough as she left. Byakuren waved her off while Nue approached from behind, saying to her "Welp…! That was a great day! Shame you weren't around to meet the Youkai, Hijiri!"

Folding her arms before her waist Byakuren smiled and said "Perhaps you will have to tell me about her over some tea, Nue. I'm curious to hear how Kokoro handled this matter." And that is what the two would do for the night, with Kyouko and Kogasa joining them. For Kokoro, she would soon face her greatest challenge today…To impress an elegant vampire or two at their fancy dinner!

 _Next Time: An Unexpected Dinner Guest_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Dinner Date With a Vampire**

The sun was setting upon Gensokyo as Kokoro went to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. She was hopeful that her time with Sekibanki would not make her late, for she did not wish to disappoint the young Flandre. But as she crossed over the many forest trees she took a moment to look at her clothes, realizing she had the same thing on that she does all the time. Flinching as she patted her body with both hands, there was just one thing on her mind.

" _I-I didn't get a nice dress on…"_

She had wanted to put on a good appearance for her friend, but now had no choice but to settle for her normalcy. After pausing to sigh, Kokoro continued to fly towards the mansion, thinking of how she could have handled this better. She had the idea in her head of asking her parents for help with a dress, but…

Thinking of spending time with Byakuren saw her standing around accepting the many dresses her mother had to offer, wasting lots of time to the point that she would not make it to the mansion until dinner was long finished. With Miko, time wouldn't be the problem, but rather Kokoro worried about being so thickly dressed that she would look like the backdrop of a fancy play. The laughs of the Crown Prince filled Kokoro's mind as she shuddered at the thought.

"Normal…is better." She murmured as the mansion began to come into view. Cast under the light of the fading sun, the mansion looked even eerier than it did during the night, as a shadow was cast over the front of the building, and it was also helped by the lack of lights in the windows. After an exact minute Kokoro descended from the sky and landed at the front of the mansion gate and widened her eyes as the way was open and Meiling was gone.

Kokoro tilted her head a little and then made her way towards the front doors of the mansion, but before knocking on the door she froze up halfway and looked down at herself. Even if she couldn't acquire a dress, surely there had to be some way to look nicer before entering? She drew a hand back to the side of her hair and twisted some strands up a little, thinking of a ponytail before letting go and shaking her head.

"It'll just end up a mess." Kokoro let out a dejected sigh and then looked to the right, noticing a bush of white pansies. She held her hand out towards it for a moment and then pulled it back against her chest.

" _I don't know. They'll recognize it…"_ Her thoughts held her back for a few seconds as she looked at the door and then the bush a few times rapidly, and after a little bit more she grit her teeth as well as she could and then quickly bent down to the bush and plucked put her fingers around one of the flower's stems. At that exact moment one of the doors opened, and a familiar voice called out to Kokoro.

"Fufufu. What are you doing, Kokoro?" Kokoro froze up and looked at the person who was so humored by her actions. Flandre stood with a hand on the door, wearing a more fanciful dress for the occasion. Her shirt and skirt were now black, with blood red frills around the cuffs, waist and the bottom of her skirt. She did not have her cap on, and her hair was tied into a ponytail directly behind her head. Even her pale skin looked rather polished up, with her nails having received a slight trim.

She closed her eyes and quietly chuckled some more, and with her face bright red Kokoro's heart beat against her chest and she unconsciously pulled the pansy from the stem to put it on the right side of her hair. She then stood up and slowly waved a hand at Flandre, but her knees were weak and shaking. The vampire opened her eyes and stepped forward to grab Kokoro's other hand, the cold feeling of her nocturne skin making Kokoro glance down at her arm as it was raised an inch.

"Come on, come on! Sakuya has made a fantastic feast!" Flandre tugged Kokoro with her diminutive strength and she leaned forward slightly while letting out a gasp of shock. Flandre eagerly flapped her wings and looked at her friend, who was a little surprised and still quite a bit nervous.

"A-Aren't you wondering why I don't have a dress?" Flandre paused for a moment and with a wide smile she replied "Who cares! What matters is that you're here!" She then tugged again and Kokoro went along with her friend's eagerness, being taken through the mansion past the right side of the staircase. Going through the winding halls, Kokoro knew it was only a matter of time before she'd be at the dining room.

" _I-I've never dined with Remilia and the others without mommy or daddy around. How does a vampire dine? How do they judge their guests? Will I be punished if I mess up? I don't want to embarrass Flandre…"_ Kokoro looked at Flandre from behind as the vampire continued to guide her along, and she put up a resistance by pressing her feet down on the carpet to get her to stop for a moment. Flandre then looked back with a curious tilt of her head.

"Flandre, how does your sister handle dinners?" Kokoro inquired, and all too enthusiastically she received a reply of "I don't know! We can find out together!" Flandre then kept dragging her through the hall while Kokoro widened her eyes and found that hard to believe.

"You've never had dinner with her before?"

"Not for a few hundred years. It's slipped my mind, but that's fine! We'll be fine Kokoro, sis wouldn't drink your blood for a mistake while I'm here!"

"Forgive me if I'm not instilled with confidence." Kokoro dryly replied as Flandre let out her vampiric chuckle. Though despite saying that, Kokoro did feel more confident in Remilia looking past any mistakes, especially once the two of them finally made it to the dining hall. There she found a banquet table as long as the Myouren Temple is wide, each foot of it covered by dishes of food and drink. There were eight very tall stained glass windows that bathed the room in a bloody light as the sun finished setting, but that was clearly Remilia's dramatic nature at work.

Meiling was sitting at one of the chairs with her arms behind her head as she was half-awake, while Sakuya was delicately pouring what appeared to be a fine violet wine into a glass with vampire wings sticking out from the handle. Then there was Patchouli, the purple-haired, striped pajama wearing magician/librarian and her little devil assistance, the mischievous red-haired Koakuma sitting side-by-side each other. Patchouli's attention was focused entirely on a thick paged spell book, but it was held up close to her face swiftly to block a crouton thrown her way.

The person who threw the crouton surprised Kokoro with their presence, bringing relief to her question of how Remilia judges her guests. Opposite of Patchouli's chair was the disgrace of the Celestials…and the person Kokoro calls her "big sister", Tenshi Hinawai. As usual, Tenshi's hair was long and blue, with a peach-topped black hat atop her head while also wearing her white dress with slight apron and long blue frilly ended skirt.

"T-Tenshi…?!" Kokoro muttered out as Flandre let go of her hand. In the middle of lining up a crouton shot with a pulled back spoon, Tenshi's aim is taken completely off and the crouton smacks Koakuma in the forehead as she turns to face the menreiki and waves her right hand beside her head.

"Hey Kokoro, what a coincidence seeing you here!" She said nonchalantly, while Patchouli lowers her book and with a glare towards the Celestial commented "It's bad enough Remilia allowed you to stay for dinner, but I do not need you bruising my assistant. Surely you can lock up your childish tendencies for even half an hour, Celestial." She then lifted the book back up, but not before a crouton skipped off the top of her head. As Tenshi chuckled, Patchouli gripped the bottom of her book tightly and went back to reading.

By this time, Kokoro was beside Tenshi, who looked at her and asked with a satisfied grin on her face that held back further giggles "You got roped into dinner with that crazy vampire too?" Kokoro shook her head a little.

"I accepted an offer to come. Why are you here, Tenshi?"

"Eh, I was here to bug ol' book brain for a little bit when that vampire came along and urged me to stick around for dinner. Guess you being here explains why she bothered." Tenshi said while picking at her right ear, and Patchouli took the time to comment snidely "A simple explanation cannot fully explain the decisions Remilia makes sometimes, especially this very questionable one."

"Aww lighten up already." Tenshi swung her right hand forward and then looked at Kokoro, patting a hand on the back of the chair beside her. "Sit down Kokoro, I'd like to know how you've been lately!" She urged happily. Kokoro poked her head over the table and saw Flandre sitting down on the chair beside the one in front of the special glass.

"Sit beside me Kokoro! You can tell ME how your day went!" Flandre said while patting the chair to the right of her, and Tenshi just patted her chair harder than before while gritting her teeth a bit and forcibly saying "Don't I get priority for being your BIG SISTER…?!"

"Fufufu, that's funny Ms. Celestial, but Kokoro came here with me so she wants to talk with me!" Flandre said while bearing her fangs with a grin and closing her eyes.

"Oi! I have seniority over you there! So sorry!"

"I'm at least five-hundred years old." Flandre bluntly replied, but before the argument escalated further they were stopped by the sound of a chair being pulled out. Kokoro chose to sit to the left of Tenshi, and while glancing away from her two friends she murmured "I-I can talk to both of you, no need to fight over me."

Kokoro then glanced at Tenshi and mouthed silently to not cause trouble, and the Celestial saw her hands twitching on top of her legs and with a look towards Flandre she gestured out and said "We both like Kokoro, so lets just compromise for tonight."

"Fufufu, I was merely joking anyways. My sister has rubbed off on me, I suppose." Flandre said with the utmost cheerfulness as she flapped her wings and rested her hands on her cheeks with a brimming smile unbecoming of a vampire.

"Rubbed off, you say? Whatever does that mean, Flandre?" A more crass voice calls to Flandre, and without much fanfare Remilia was at the table beside her little sister with Sakuya pulling the chair out for her. Remilia's dress was very similar to Flandre's, but with violet instead of black on the clothes and her nails painted black. Her hair was slicked back with a frilled hair band on her head, and her wings were spread proudly.

Remilia immediately picks up the wine glass and takes a sip from it, then glances at Sakuya and remarked "As usual, you've picked the proper wine for the occasion. You may have a glass yourself and relax." Sakuya held a hand out and replied "I must not be tipsy for the clean up later. Perhaps another time, mistress Remilia."

"A pity, but insistence won't change your mind, nor do I wish to be demanding after the work you've put into this. Continue your duties as you please, I shall save some meat for you." Remilia said with a smile as she put the glass down, and Sakuya bowed and remarked "You are too kind, mistress" before leaving in a flash. With her maid gone Remilia stood up and brought a fork to her glass to clink it twice, waking up Meiling and causing her to smack her lips as her mistress made a proclamation.

"Welcome, fair denizens of the mansion and my two humble guests, to my breakfast feast!" The wording tripped Tenshi and Kokoro up a bit until they remembered who they were in the presence of, and she continued on merrily "Eat, drink, and converse to your heart's content! Let naught the sun be the end of your merriment, go on until your body bursts!" Remilia then plopped softly onto her seat and let out a breath, pumping her fist and whispering "Nailed it" before she put her wine glass down, humoring her sister.

Patchouli finally laid her book on her lap and took to her particular plate of food, a ravishing salad with some odd mushy meat placed beside it, keeping a close eye on Tenshi's antics as she moved a fork to the food. Remilia's plate was filled with that mushy meat, as was Meiling's, but Flandre had the distinction of a cooked steak on hers. Kokoro had the same thing, while Tenshi was given an herbed pork with a slice of crumbed peach pie.

"Oh, you know me so well!" Tenshi said with a slightly teasing voice, picking up the pie and taking a firm bite into it, splattering some of the food across the once clean table cloth, with Patchouli glaring piercingly and resisting the urge to say anything.

Kokoro cut into her steak while Flandre looked at her, taking advantage of Tenshi's stuffed mouth to ask "Did you enjoy your day?" Kokoro looked up and nodded her head, and after putting a piece of steak into her mouth she said "I helped someone I had wronged in the Human Village…"

"Hrmmpff? You've finally started doing that?" Tenshi said in a muffled manner before swallowing and continuing with a fork pointed at the menreiki "Seems like a waste of time really. How many people are going to hold a grudge against you for that incident, I mean seriously…"

Before Tenshi could lean back and enjoy herself, Remilia grinned widely and with a glance at her pointed out "Said by the incident causer. How brash for a Celestial to leave the 'little sister' to clean up the mess of her 'elder'." Remembering the last time Remilia caused trouble, Flandre just rolled her eyes and chuckled quietly before eating some more of her food. Remilia then focused her attention on Kokoro with her chin resting atop the back of her hands.

"I do find it fascinating that you wish to help those you wronged. Not from a vampiric perspective mind you, but that as a Youkai you shouldn't be inclined to help others without an ulterior motive." Remilia leaned forward and glided a finger around the top of her glass, continuing on with a piercing glare "But I suppose, my dear Kokoro, that's why I can tolerate you…The precious enigma wrapped behind 60 something masks."

Kokoro's body was wrapped with a chill that made her push back against her chair until Flandre remarked with a more audible laugh "Remilia is at it again. You can't have her as a servant, Remilia. She's my friend." Remilia winced and then sat back upright in her chair, folding her arms and with an irritated expression replied "D-Don't give me lip, Flandre, that was not my intention! I am simply taking interesting in my guest's behavior!"

"Fufufu, I feel we got off-track Kokoro. What happened after that?" Flandre gestured to the menreiki as she relaxed herself and was allowed to continue unimpeded. But since the next thing on her list of events was the meeting with Kuriya, Kokoro hesitated to bring that up, especially since no one in the room would like to hear about "heroes"…Well, except perhaps Flandre. Though Kokoro didn't do a good job hiding her hesitation from Tenshi, even if the Celestial's food stuffed face said otherwise.

"Well…I did meet up with Mamizou, and she let me help out a dullahan named Sekibanki. I spent most of the day with them at mommy's temple, and I think she learned to make friends." When Kokoro was done, Remilia out a gentle yawn and patted a hand against her lips before remarking "How oddly dull. Though I swear I heard that name before…"

"I THINK Sakuya mentioned seeing her in town a couple times. Didn't she suggest bringing her to the mansion?" Meiling said with a little uncertainty, but Remilia snapped her fingers to confirm the truth of that.

"Ah, that's RIGHT! Kokoro, you should convince her to come here for us!"

"No." Kokoro was unhesitant and Remilia just grimaced and immediately went back to her meat, scooping it up in her claws while grumbling all the while. Flandre chuckled again and then with a hand out asked "And then you came to us?" Kokoro nodded.

"A rather dull day, but I wish I could've been with you to see it all, fufufu."

"I want you to come with me again outside, but I have to think of something first Flandre."

"Oh curse the limitations of the sun. But I'm not allowed to use the parasol after the last time." Flandre took the limitations in stride, a wide smile crossing her face as she was at least thankful for Kokoro's considerations. Remilia looked away from her sister for a moment and hid her smile as well as she could.

Surprisingly, the rest of the dinner was rather normal, much to Tenshi's disappointment. With Sakuya left to clean things up and Remilia wanting to change dresses, Flandre was left to guide Kokoro and Tenshi back to the entrance of the mansion. When they were outside, Flandre said "That went better than I expected."

"Unfortunately…" Tenshi sighed with her hands folded behind her head, while Kokoro faced Flandre and asked her "Do you want me to come again tomorrow night? I can make it easily."

"Fufufu, no thanks. Lets take a break for a bit Kokoro. I don't want to get tired of seeing you. You know, being-"

"A vampire, right…I'm sorry." Kokoro looked aside and rubbed the side of her head, and Flandre gently chuckled and then grabbed both of her friend's hands. With a slight flutter she lifted herself up off the ground and then held a hand out to the flower, plucking it from Kokoro's hair and resting it on her palm.

"Big sis didn't even notice this was from her garden. I'll put it back so you don't get into trouble. Next time, don't worry about appearances Kokoro. I'd have a hard time imagining you looking different than you are now, fufufu." Hearing that made Kokoro's heart start fluttering, but also reminded her of that mirror Kuriya had. _"If I grew up…Would Flandre still like me?"_

After a few seconds of lingering on that, Kokoro slapped the sides of her face a couple times much to Flandre's confusion, and then thanked her for dealing with the flower. Then she turned around to leave with Tenshi, who was paying attention the whole time. Once past the gate, Tenshi raised her brows and asked "Kokoro is everything alright?"

"What do you mean Tenshi?" Kokoro asked while looking over her shoulder.

"You just seemed a bit off today. I'm probably the last person who should be saying this, but I feel you're hiding something. Last time you didn't mention something…"

"It's nothing like that Ten…" Kokoro's response was interrupted by her needing to put a fist to her mouth and cough twice, followed by a bit of pain coming from her chest. Kokoro paused for a bit as Tenshi folded her arms against her chest and said with light concern "Something went down the wrong pipe? You're going to need some water for that."

The cough gave Kokoro a moment to think of something to say to Tenshi instead of mentioning Kuriya yet. Turning around, Kokoro gestured out while thinking _"I was going to say this anyways, but…"_

"Tenshi, I didn't want to bring this up because I know Patchy would've mocked you for it, maybe Remilia too, but…" With as earnest a look she could muster, Kokoro hesitantly asked "Tomorrow I'd like it if you helped make amends for some of the stuff you did back during that incident."

Tenshi's expression went from smiling to a slight frown, and after a little grumbling she said "First the dinner wasn't that exciting then you're dragging me into charity work." With a bright grin Tenshi then commented "Those who have earned their right into that bountiful heaven need not to wash themselves of sin!" And while she was absolutely honest in her excuse, Kokoro knew not to bad down.

Firmly digging her feet into the ground, Kokoro stared at Tenshi and said "Celestials don't need to, but Tenshi should." The Celestial noted that Kokoro's glare was slowly growing firmer, and with a tinge of guilt on her mind Tenshi responded "Oh, fine! This wouldn't work if anyone else tried it, and it sucks you know that Kokoro. So what do you even want me to do?" Kokoro relaxed a bit and pumped her fist beside herself before focusing on her friend.

"Tomorrow, meet me at the edge of the Human Village. Then we'll go make amends to a couple people." That was all she had to say at the moment.

"You haven't even thought about who? Well, not that I'm expecting you to not be ready by morning. Alright Kokoro, you get some rest then, and PLEASE don't expect this to last more than a day with me ok?"

"I make no promises here, Tenshi." Kokoro said while swiping a hand in front of her body. Tenshi just nervously chuckled and then summoned forth a keystone to ride herself back to Bhava-agra, leaving Kokoro alone to fly into the night sky for a good rest back at the Human Village. At the very least, she was glad that Tenshi would be ready, albeit reluctantly, to help tomorrow.

However, down in the forest near the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the bushes rustled, and someone with light green hair and an eye floating around their body disappeared into the night…

 _Next Time: The Dream Outsider and the Immortal Friendship_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The Dreamer from the Outside World**

The next morning, Tenshi took her keystone across the skies of Gensokyo on her way to the Human Village. Tapping her fingers on her crossed arms, she murmured "Kokoro better have some idea where we're going today" before descending to the edge of the village, not taking care to alert the humans of her presence and causing some mild panic for the time being. Kokoro was thankfully waiting for her, preventing things from getting any worse.

"…Tenshi, you shouldn't have flown down." Kokoro noted while glancing back into the village, and Tenshi patted her on the shoulder before replying with a slightly pompous smile "Oh it'll be fine. So you ready to do that silly 'charity work' stuff?" Kokoro frowned a tiny bit and then looked over her shoulder, right into Tenshi's eyes.

"Tenshi…Please take this a little seriously. It's mostly for your benefit." Tenshi then laid her hands behind her head and asked "You haven't even told me WHO we're going to see today. That would reeeeeeeally help Kokoro." Kokoro's reply was to shake her head and remain silent.

"Aye, seriously? Well, then lets not waste any time here, take me to whoever you want me to 'apologize' to." Tenshi made air quotes at the end and then went back into the air with her keystone after Kokoro nodded her head. But Kokoro quickly grabbed Tenshi's left hand and gave it a light tug, much to her puzzlement.

"No more panic in the village please." She begged, with Tenshi sighing before she leaped off the keystone and buried it into the ground. Then the two started to make their way through the forest, with Tenshi saying in a lightly irritated manner "Kokoro seriously, you can at least tell me our destination. I really hope you aren't stalling because you don't know where to go."

"We're going to the Bamboo Forest. I don't want the person we're helping to be scared off by your presence." Kokoro's swift answer led to Tenshi grinning a little before she said "Well ok, that's not too bad. Ummmm, now what was in the Bamboo Forest again?"

Tenshi held her arms behind her head and tried her hardest to remember just who she affected with Kokoro's powers. Her mind was filled with nothing but silhouettes save for people like Byakuren and Miko, but the one silhouette that struck Tenshi in particular was of a person with roaring flames around their body that was in the middle of the Bamboo Forest. Tenshi then widened her eyes and started erupting into laughter.

"Oh I remember that person! Hahaha! Oh this ought to be a lot of fun!" As Tenshi spoke with the utmost glee, Kokoro rested a hand on her forehead and let out a sigh, thinking to herself _"Maybe I should have started with someone else."_ Even with her concerns though, Kokoro wanted to put all her faith into Tenshi making things right, even with her roguish personality.

It didn't take long to get out of this forest and end up on the dirt path dividing that and the forest of bamboo shoots. As they go into the next forest, Tenshi asks "Say, did you even eat anything this morning?" Kokoro looked back and nodded her head lightly, but then she let out a light cough that left some slight pain in her chest.

"Well it seems what you DIDN'T do is get some water like I told you to Kokoro. Come on, listen to your big sis every now and then, I'm not going to cause YOU any trouble." Tenshi said while gesturing outward, and with a lightly distressed look Kokoro whispered to herself "I don't think something's stuck in my throat."

"What was that?"

"Nothing…Nothing Tenshi, lets keep going." Kokoro quickly looked ahead and kept walking, but Tenshi wasn't having that answer and told her "You aren't good at hiding stuff Kokoro. If that cough is hurting you, then you REALLY shouldn't be out today."

"I'm FINE!" Kokoro firmly planted a foot on the ground and clenched her fists, her voice expressing actual anger. Tenshi froze up for a bit and as Kokoro glared back at her she grimaced and said "Kokoro you just don't want to get sick. Last thing you'd want is to spread another disease across Gensokyo."

Kokoro slowly turned her head back and tried to relax herself, even if she knew what Tenshi was getting at. But she calmly argued "I'm a Youkai…I don't get sick, at least not like others do. A cough is nothing to worry about Tenshi."

"Guess I wouldn't know that. But I'm serious anyways, don't push yourself…Last thing I want to do is tell those two that you got sick on my watch." Tenshi said while thinking of Byakuren planting a fist deep into her gut and shivering. Kokoro, however, closed her eyes and thought of what her parents would do were she to get sick, and Byakuren coddling her for warmth and Miko providing hundreds of different medicines concocted by her ancient wisdom were the two biggest things that stuck to her mind.

"… _But I have to take care of myself, I can't rely on them forever."_ Kokoro snapped those images out of her mind and kept moving through the forest with Tenshi behind her, eventually hearing a couple voices murmuring in the distance. Kokoro held her arm out to make Tenshi pause, and then they slowly crept closer to the voices while avoiding the leaves on the ground so they don't startle the beings.

This leads to them standing behind a thicket of bamboo shoots and peering into a secluded part of the forest, where they find two people sitting on a large rock. One was a pale skinned girl with very long nearly white colored hair and paper talismans for hair ribbons. She wore a discolored brown t-shirt and dark red overalls covered in more talismans, with her eyes being unnaturally red. The second girl looked strange by Gensokyo's standards, as she had a more "normal" outfit of a purple plaid skirt and matching sleeveless top, complete with long-sleeved white blouse, a black bolo tie, and white bowed socks and black shoes. Her hair and eyes were brown, with a black hat and red framed glasses finishing her ensemble.

At the moment, the strange looking girl held an equally bizarre black rectangle with an orange hexagram on the back, pointing at it as the red-eyed immortal known as Fujiwara no Mokou looked on with a placid grin of intrigue on her face. Mokou nodded a couple times and then was allowed to hold the rectangle in her right hand, with her commenting in a puzzled tone "So you just tap this 'icon' and you can play a game?"

"After giving up a proper amount of yen to the greedy corporations, yeah. Anything you recognize on there Mokou?" The girl said in a chipper tone, though not before she was a bit condescending towards the prior mentioned corporations. Mokou glanced over the odd device and commented in a humored tone "Three things are eternal in this world it seems…Me, Kaguya, and card games."

"No joke. There's even card games where you throw monsters down onto a playing field and use magic and traps to get the advantage over your opponent until they lose all their life points." The girl said with rather nonchalance in her tone considering the grandeur of what she spoke of, to which Mokou thus replied "Duels with magic, cards and monsters? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were speaking of danmaku. To think the outside world has developed such a spectacle on their own."

"Pffft, yeah right. You won't get any spectacle unless you watch that anime they made on the card game. I could always download an episode or two to watch on the tablet if for whatever reason you're interested." The girl said with a shrug, but Mokou handed the device back and said "Actually sure, it'd be nice to see what the outside world considers entertainment these days" much to the girl's surprise.

"W-Well I could always wake up and come right back with them, cause thank god it's a weekend." The girl commented, and Mokou put her hands into her pockets and shrugged "If you want, but I can wait if you'd like to just keep talking." The girl kept herself planted on the rock and after a bright smile the two kept talking, still unaware of Tenshi and Kokoro observing them.

"Figures the immortal looks no different, but who the hell's that other girl?" Tenshi whispered bluntly, but Kokoro was currently glaring at that person with some blue spiritual fire around her. After a few seconds she murmured "Nemesis Two…" with Tenshi looking at her with a puzzled glance.

"Whoa now, a second Nemesis? Who would be the-" The image of a green-haired girl popped into Tenshi's mind for a moment and she quickly continued "Oh right, her. So what, this odd-looking girl did something terrible to you?"

"She…She caused an incident not long ago, and because of her I was almost fully possessed by an Urban Legend. I think I fought her, but I don't remember much of that…Just a lot of tall towers with bright lights and some noises I've never heard before." Kokoro commented, and Tenshi's interest was raised as she then asked "Well ok, but what about this girl's name?"

"…Sumireko…That's the most I can remember of her." Kokoro said while grimacing to recall, and Tenshi looked at the girl and commented "Looking at her, she reminds me a bit of that shrine maiden on the mountain we had go crazy. That strange demon square of hers is really interesting too. Hehehe, maybe this will be a lot more fun after all."

"Tenshi, stay focused, we can't…" Kokoro was stopped from finishing her sentence by an untimely cough, which she couldn't control the volume of and thus caused Mokou and Sumireko to look their way finally. Tenshi, at the risk of getting infected, laid a hand on Kokoro's mouth to stop the noise, but it was too late. Mokou raised an eyebrow and casually snapped her fingers out in front of her body, a spark of flame igniting a couple bamboo shoots and making them burn down to ash and revealing Tenshi and Kokoro's odd position.

Kokoro's mask of surprise appeared beside her face as Sumireko glanced her way and grimaced in such a way that her glasses slipped down her face, while Mokou's glance made Tenshi grin and casually wave her free hand that way.

"You…I remember you. The Celestial that buried me under a mountain of rocks." Mokou said with a light smirk as she held her hands out and created small embers in the palms, and Kokoro quickly pushed Tenshi's hand away so she could lavishly hold a hand out towards Sumireko while stating firmly "Nemesis Two!"

"N-Nemesis? Wait, hold up, what's going on here?!" Sumireko became flustered with shock and looked to Mokou for answers, and the immortal grinned as she leaped off the rock and explained "Don't worry about it, I'll just be turning this Celestial to ash and then we can get back to talking. Menreiki, you don't have to have your powers abused by this nut job anymore, so just run before you're in the crossfire."

Mokou displayed her powers by creating magnificently towering pillars of fire in her hands that ruffled her hair with the blaze of hot winds it released, but upon hearing the immortal out Kokoro stopped her focus on Sumireko and remembered what she came here for in the first place. Looking at Mokou as best as she could with the flames in the way, Kokoro said "Ummm, I'm sorry, but Tenshi isn't manipulating me anymore."

"Huh?" Mokou dialed back her flames a bit so she could hear Kokoro out, but was left confused by what she heard. Kokoro then glanced at Tenshi, giving her a couple nudges with the side of her head before the Celestial got the hint. Looking away, Tenshi puts her hands behind her head and said "Yeah yeah, I'm here to a-a-apolog-g-giz-e-e…" straining herself in the process with her expression convulsion in different bizarre ways. Sumireko meanwhile cracked a forced grin and was halfway-tempted to get out of the area.

"What have I got myself involved in…?" She murmured while Mokou clenched her hands to stop her flames and remarked "You're kidding right? Last I heard you aren't the guilt-feeling type. Why should I believe you right now?" While still having her hands behind her head, Tenshi glanced down at Kokoro and then subtly nudged that way a couple times, and thankfully Mokou is able to pick up on that.

"Ah, so that's it. Hmph, well what do you have in mind for apologizing to me?" Mokou inquired and eased up enough to put her hands into her pockets, and after a slight flinch Tenshi looked to the menreiki and whispered "Kokoro, what exactly was your plan here?"

"Your on your own Tenshi, I'm just here to make sure you go through with it." Kokoro commented, and that basically cut Tenshi off of all other options. To make things up to Mokou, Tenshi would have to reach deep, DEEP into her heart to find the compassion necessary to-

"Hey, do you know what'd make a good apology, firebird?" -Or Tenshi could just rely on Mokou to do the job for her, that's fine too. Needless to say, Kokoro sighed and smacked her forehead, again questioning if she should've tried someone else first. Nevertheless, Mokou stared blankly at Tenshi for only a little bit before lifting her head up with a grin and saying "Alright, you know what? Lets have a spell card duel, just like before. This time I'm feeling more level-headed, so do you think your odds of winning will be as good as before?"

"Hah, I guess all disputes do end up being solved with danmaku here! Fine, if that's all, I'm game!" Tenshi spins her hand around and draws her Hisou no Tsurugi, poking the ground to make a keystone rise up under her feet. Kokoro let out a more audible sigh and commented while stepping aside "I guess whatever works Tenshi, please don't bury her under stones again though."

"Don't worry about it, I'll be done in a few minutes!" Tenshi said while brushing her finger under her nose, but Mokou smirks before glancing back at the bewildered Sumireko and saying "I'll be back in a blink of an eye, you don't have to stick around if you don't want to get in the crossfire Sumi." Mokou then bent down and kicked off the ground with a burst of fire from her feet to get into the air with Tenshi.

"Oh no big deal, just leave me alone with the freaky masked You-" Sumireko looks ahead and sees Kokoro standing directly in front of her, which causes her to scuttle back on the rock while screeching "Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiii!" Her glasses fell off her face, and she scrambled to keep them from hitting the ground. After putting them on her face she looked at Kokoro's now tilted head, and again the menreiki holds her hand out dramatically.

"Nemesis two, you and I shall settle our differences here and now!" Kokoro proclaimed while her mask levitated in front of her face, and Sumireko blankly stared at her and said "N-Nemesis? What did I even do to you?!"

"Your incident almost got me possessed by an Urban Legend. My body is my own temple, it shall not be inhabited by any outside force!" Kokoro explained with a little more volume in her voice. Sumireko just blinked a couple times and said "Wait huh? How the hell did that even happen? Look youkai, I didn't know that was even POSSIBLE. Can't you just let it go? Even though you probably can't, I don't want a fight."

"What do you mean by that?" Kokoro said while tilting her head aside, and then she summoned a fan into her hand and tapped the side of Sumireko's head. Nothing happened, causing Sumireko to nervously grin and say "O-Oh right…Stupid dream mechanics. Look, if you attacked me now it'd really affect me in real life, and I don't want to explain to the plebians how I got attacked in my dreams."

"Hrrrrrmmm…" Kokoro thought things over for a bit while holding the fan at the side of Sumireko's head, noticing the light sweat forming on her head. Kokoro pulls back her arm and dispels the fan, commenting lightly "I won't hold a grudge…But don't cause trouble again, please."

"Ugh, after what all of you Youkai did? I don't want any part of that 'incident' insanity again. I'd rather just try and get to know Gensokyo and all of it's mystical wonders." Sumireko said with some light groans, and Kokoro tilted her head a little and asked "And that's why you talk with Mokou?"

"Well not to brag, but we're pretty close friends." Sumireko smugly said while rubbing her knuckles against her chest, and after thinking about the way the two were talking Kokoro nodded her head and then slowly climbed up onto the rock to sit beside the strange girl. As Sumireko gives her an odd glare, but Kokoro was too busy looking at the middle of Mokou and Tenshi's bullet filled duel to notice.

"So what's your deal? You never keep the same mask near you." Sumireko got Kokoro's attention with that, and the menreiki replied "I am a tsukumogami of 66 masks. My name is Hata no Kokoro." Sumireko nodded her head a couple times then pulled up her tablet, tapping a finger across the screen while Kokoro leans over to see what she was putting onto it. There was a list of names filed under three categories of "Like", "Neutral" and "Wary Off". For the moment, Kokoro was listed as "Neutral" while familiar names like Reimu and Mokou were under "Like" and Kokoro couldn't quite recognize the names of those in "Wary Off" save for Rinnosuke.

When Sumireko notices her peeping, she hides the tablet out of sight and Kokoro pulls back. After a few seconds of being wary, the girl puts the tablet down on her lap and says "Well now I know your name and you know my name from before. What do you want to do now?" Kokoro looked away and laid a finger on her right cheek to consider what she could do. She hadn't really planned to get into a conversation with this strange girl…

"You know, at least it's nice to know you Youkais won't suddenly pull out a phone and start texting in it. There's something really nice about this place's combined simplicity and complicity." Sumireko wasted no time waiting for Kokoro and started a conversation herself, though the menreiki let out a sigh of relief since she didn't have to think about things now. However, Sumireko then accidentally smacked Kokoro in the face while swinging her arms out fantastically.

"The place looks simple, but the magic, the Youkai, the environments…! They are all so wondrous and free! Here, the struggles of reality are transcended, the cliques and crowds are almost nonexistent, it's a fantasy that has perfected reality!" Sumireko's behavior made Kokoro tilt her head and hum a little.

"Sumireko, do you hate your world?" She inquired, and the girl glanced aside and replied softly "Sort of, yeah. It's noisy, no one really listens because their faces are stuffed into the phones they carry, and technology basically runs everyone's lives."

"I'm…sorry to hear that." Kokoro said with as much sympathy she could muster, but Sumireko just swung her hand down and after standing up on the rock with arms folded she proclaimed "Ha, but someday the world will realize my brilliance and knowledge of the arcane and fantastical. Then they'll recognize how foolish they were to misjudge me!" Sumireko then started laughing out loud, though Kokoro just tilted her head further and felt unable to comprehend any of that.

"I wouldn't want to have lots of people know about Gensokyo. What makes this place magical is how few people are actually in here. Because of that, it's been easier to form bonds, or to correct mistakes that we might have made. If those lights and towers in your world represent the amount of people out there, then I'd be frightened if that many of them came here, and I couldn't imagine how the other Youkai would react." Kokoro made her point with the most her little young mind could come up with, and after a few seconds of blinking Sumireko sat herself down.

"Well I guess not all Youkai are easy to get along with. Wouldn't want to be known as the person who caused mass murder by opening the way to a realm of rabid beasts. But there has to be some way to show the world the truth without ruining the majesty of Gensokyo." She admitted.

"You should just keep that knowledge to yourself and pass it down to future generations." Kokoro suggested with a little uncertainty.

"Hahahaha…! So I'd be a granny telling the whippersnappers of my tales? Like that would ever happen." Sumireko said while resting some fingers on her forehead and letting out slightly unhinged laughter.

Suddenly, Tenshi drops out of the sky, landing flat on her back with some smoke rising out of her clothes. Mokou drops down with hands in her pockets and says with a smile "Told you so. But hey, at least you didn't try any dirty tricks." After a little chuckling she gave Kokoro a casual glance and said "Well I feel pretty satisfied now. But now I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Kokoro nodded her heard without a word and got off the rock, walking to Tenshi as she gets herself onto her feet, standing atop a keystone she summons from the ground. Mokou leapt onto the rock and was ready to continue talking with Sumireko, but before so the outside girl said "You're a strange one Kokoro, but if you want to meet up again you could find me here or at Reimu's shrine."

"I-I'll consider it. Come on Tenshi, we got another place to go to." Kokoro said before trying to brush some ash off of Tenshi's clothes as the Celestial coughed some of it up.

"A-Another place? …Ok fine, lets get it over with…" Then Tenshi and Kokoro took off, and after getting a good distance away from the forest Tenshi shook her body with a surprising amount of energy and forced a smile. Kokoro noticed this and commented "Tenshi, did you throw the duel to satisfy Mokou?"

Beyond a whistle, no sound left Tenshi's mouth, leading Kokoro to smile a tiny bit and say "Well, no matter. Our next stop is very close by. We got plenty of daylight left, so lets go to the Youkai Mountains." With the conversation with Sumireko in her thoughts, Kokoro guided Tenshi towards the mountains in the distance, still unaware that a familiar green-haired girl was tailing close behind…

 _Next Time: Masked Hero Kokoro…?!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Masked Hero…Hata no Kokoro?**

From the bamboo forest to the Youkai Mountains, Kokoro took Tenshi with her to make amends to one other person they had wronged. Tenshi clenched her teeth as the mountains approached, leaving her to preach her concerns with "Uh, hold up a second Kokoro." The menreiki stopped and turned on a dime.

"I'm not wrong…You're taking me UP the mountain right?" Kokoro nodded, and Tenshi sighed before crinkling her forehead with gritted teeth. Kokoro could even feel the irritation radiating around her tense body.

"With that mountain shrine with that wack-job shrine maiden and the two goddesses?" Another nod did not make Tenshi feel any better, leading her to then say with grueling hesitation "Great…Just great. I don't want to wait to find out later Kokoro, what is your plan to help these people out? I'm not going to throw three more spell card duels."

"That's not necessary. We can just ask if they need help and go from there. I'm sure goddesses have a lot that need to be done."

"Well fine, so long as we aren't dragged into their religious propaganda. Though I guess that wouldn't worry you, huh?"

"…Uhhhh…" Kokoro started scratching the side of her face and looked away from Tenshi, who didn't quite understand her response until she took a little bit to think it over, and she was gave a shocked expression before exclaiming in an exasperated tone "You somehow haven't chosen a religion?!"

"M-Mommy and daddy want me to decide for myself…I don't know which one fits me." Kokoro said with some slight embarrassment in her voice. Tenshi paused, then glided over on her keystone and patted Kokoro's back, and her attention was grabbed.

"I don't know anything about that stuff, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. You don't need to worry about that now. Lets just get to the top of the mountain and see what those cranky goddesses will have to say." After a couple more pats Tenshi backed off, but look concerned as Kokoro started coughing again.

"Just…promise me when we're done you'll go home and rest?" She asked, and Kokoro faintly nodded before looking towards the rough mountainside and feeling the chill blowing against her hair.

"Thank you…Tenshi." She murmured with noticeable joy, and Tenshi proudly grinned from ear to ear while laying her arms behind her head to say "Aw shucks, you know I got your back Kokoro." The menreiki gave her a slightly piercing glance with just a bare turn of the head, and Tenshi giggled a little.

"Well ok, but I won't betray your trust. You get that part, right?" Kokoro raised her brows and nodded confidently enough, and with a thumbs up from Tenshi the two were ready to ascend at long last. It was a fast flight up the mountain, their attention distracted only by the working Kappa halfway up, but eventually the duo made it to a lone shrine at the very peak of the tallest mountain. It existed amongst what little clouds there were, a vast pond off to the left of it and the stairs to it directed with many red toriis.

The shrine at the top was bigger than the Hakurei Shrine but still small enough that it could be reasonably seen as a house like what was in the Human Village. A rope was atop the shrine, and Tenshi smirked as she lifted her head to look at it. "You know I didn't notice that the last time. It's a hymenia. Heh!"

"Oh, mommy told me about those before. They ward off evil spirits."

"Or angry gods. If there's one this big here, the Moriyas must be holding back something REALLY powerful." There was a bit of mischievous smirk on Tenshi's face as she rubbed her chin vigorously, but Kokoro swiftly held her hand up and said "And for good reason. Lets not even ask about it."

As Kokoro made her way for the door, she heard Tenshi's sigh of disappointment followed by her playful chuckle. The wood on the steps of the shrine creaked as Kokoro raised her hand to knock on the wooden part of the shutters, but then she's taken aback when the shutter suddenly slides open and a person stands before them with a brimming smile and an emotional proclamation of "Welcome to the Moriya Shrine! Can we take your faith today?!"

It was a girl with a blue and white shrine maiden outfit complete with detached sleeves and ruffled skirt. Her green hair was ruffled as well and cut short, some of it tied into a pigtail by a metallic grey-blue snake, and a frog clip was buried in the top of her hair. At the moment her eyes were closed, but it didn't take long for her to peer them open and glance down into Kokoro's widened eyes. Immediately whatever excitement she had was flushed from her face as she went a little pale, and that was before she looked up and saw Tenshi casually having at her.

Grimacing with her side of her mouth twitching, the girl named Sanae Kochiya leapt back and held her arms out in front of her as if she was doing a pose seen in karate films before proclaiming "So you have returned at last villains! I shall not fall for your sorcery again!" Kokoro looked the girl in the eyes and felt burning determination locked behind those pupils, and for a second even the crackle of flames echoed in Kokoro's ears.

The menreiki let out a gulp and raised a shaking hand, but another voice spoke out before she could. "Sanae, what's got you fired up today?" It was a more youthful but at ease voice, and the person speaking that way hopped into view before Sanae a moment later. This person wore a straw brown hat with a couple frog eyes atop it, along with having a simple purple-blue dress with a frog print design, white sleeves stitched to the torso, and a white collar. Her hair was short and blonde, and her eyes were as grey as fog. Saying she hopped was chosen in particular because she was hunched over like a frog, as if her motif needed to be made anymore obvious.

The girl, who going by her name of Suwako Moriya would suggest ran the shrine, swerved to look at her guests and then Sanae's fired up expression, also seeing the flames burn in her pupils before glancing back at the casual smile Tenshi had and the cautionary but polite stance Kokoro was putting before her. It didn't take long for Suwako to stand up and wave a sleeve out to the guests, saying to them "Oh hey, you're those guys who livened things up back then!"

Smirking behind her other sleeve, Suwako's eyes narrowed before she asked Sanae "Kanako is within earshot, isn't she?" Sanae nodded her head hard enough twice that she could've pounded a nail into a board, and after some muffled chuckling Suwako looked to her guests and said "This was going to be a pretty dull day without you guys, so thanks ahead of time!"

"But we aren't trying to…" Kokoro only got so far until her voice was drowned by Suwako exclaimed "Hey Kanako! The people that made you more submissive than usual are here again!"

"What are you talking about?! That never happened!" A more rough but authoritative voice echoed through the shrine, but with a quiet guffaw Suwako said jovially as Sanae glanced at her "I don't know Kanako…You suuuuuure you don't remember the pink-haired Youkai with masks and the blue-haired Celestial?"

Suwako dropped her sleeve to reveal her smile as everything went silent for a little while, followed by some thunderous footsteps approaching closer and closer until Sanae's presence was completely obscured by the powerful goddess that stood in front of her, armed with four floating large iron rods behind herself. She wears a puffy red shirt with long white sleeves and a round mirror on her large chest. Her skirt was black with a red flower print. Her hair was blue and radiated intensity, and her eyes as perfectly red as blood. She burned her emotions into Kokoro and Tenshi's eyes, a scowl on her face. Suwako just chuckled as Kanako clenched her fists and was getting perhaps a bit too worked up.

"You got some nerve coming back here again after what you did…! Have you come to give your prayers in hopes of mercy, or to be delivered a final punishment for your blasphemy?!" Contrasting the excitement Sanae had, Kanako's voice was nothing but pure, unbridled rage. She was a goddess, she had every right to be pissed for being forced to submit to someone else, but that didn't make things any easier for Kokoro's plans.

" _Nothing can ever be easy in Gensokyo…But what was it Mami said?"_ While she had time to do so, Kokoro calmed herself in the face of Kanako's overwhelming presence and laid a finger on her chin, remembering advice the tanuki gave regarding the goddess of the Moriya Shrine. Looking back at Tenshi, she saw the Celestial's legs quivering just the tiniest bit, something that was very rare to see from her, but with her mind racing to fix this situation Kokoro looked up at Tenshi hat and pointed to it.

"Tenshi, give her the peach on your hat." Kokoro whispered, but Suwako seemed to hear that as she raised a brow before turning to Kanako and asking "You sure spilling blood on our shrine is wise?"

"There's other means of divine punishment, Suwako. I think death would be too simple for the Celestial, but the punishment of the menreiki should be simpler if not lasting." Kanako's scathing words led to Kokoro gulping as Tenshi reached for the peach and took it off her hat, feeling how off it was right away.

"What, you want me to give this up as an offering?" Kokoro nodded her head to Tenshi's sarcastic quip, the Celestial surprised enough that she reactively almost crushed the peach, but then she looked to Kanako as she was discussing punishment options with Suwako while Sanae tried to get involved to no avail.

"Ahem!" Tenshi broke their conversation with a forced, echoing cough and then stepped forward. Kanako was on edge, but was stunned when the Celestial suddenly got on one knee and hoisted the peach up in front of her. It rested on her palms, balanced so perfectly that the strongest quake could not disturb it. Kokoro stayed back, eyes widened in shock as Tenshi said in a respectful tone "Mighty goddess, accept this offering from the heavens that I bequeath onto you."

" _U-Unbelievable…"_ Kokoro's mouth was agape. There was no sarcasm, no scathing remarks. Nothing about that sentence could have possibly come from Tenshi's mouth, and yet Kanako was smiling a little bit with her rage rapidly subsiding from her body. She took on a more dignified arm fold and Suwako let out a dejected ribbit. Kanako stepped forward and took the peach, looking it over a little before chomping down on it.

Everyone in the room waited for her to swallow, and she then looked down at Tenshi and said "Alright, you got my mention for a little bit. What are you here for?" Now that the Celestial had broken the ice, Kokoro stood beside her friend and laid a hand on her back to keep her down before she said anything, and even with how intimidating the goddess' presence was despite the slight difference in height the menreiki stared at her with an unnatural stoicness on her face.

"I-I want to…" Kokoro paused midway and gulped, a cold sweat dripping down the sides of her face before she mustered the courage to finish "Please, can we make up for the trouble we caused?" Kanako grinned and stepped back, turning slightly to the side before eating more of the peach.

"So…You came to apologize, huh? …Menreiki, I heard you were taken in by the Buddhist AND Taoist leaders. I see they rubbed some manners into you, and perhaps got some discipline into the Celestial's thick skull." Tenshi's face twitched with that second remark, but Kokoro pushed down on her back to make her stop.

"Alright, sure. If you are willing to do a little manual labor for me, then I can overlook the blasphemy committed against my shrine." Kanako said before finishing the peach off, and spitting the pit casually out the window. Tenshi tensed up a bit before stuttering "B-But I've never wo-" she didn't even have to look up to tell Kokoro was glaring at her.

"All you have to do is carry out some onabashiras out to the pond and set them up as I assign you to do. Oh, I suppose there's a few other things you have to put down too, but we'll get to that when we get there." After Kanako has discussed her plans for the Celestial with a slight smirk on her face, she turns aside and watches as Kokoro lets Tenshi stand back up again, where she rubs her back and grumbles some explicit words.

"Alright alright, so what's this even for?" Tenshi bluntly asked.

Kanako gestured out with her hand reversed and said "It's a Moriya Shrine secret. You don't get to know that. Just know the Kappas will finish the rest when you've finished setting up." Tenshi sighed, and after putting her arms behind her head she muttered "Lets get this done then."

It didn't take long after for Kanako to get Tenshi to work, and Kokoro offered her assistance as well. The steel rods Kanako wanted out on the pond were much bigger than the ones that floated behind her, but much to Tenshi's surprise they were lighter than she expected. Though unfortunately not to the point that she still didn't have trouble carrying them out, and a couple times even stumbled around unable to keep her balance.

Needless to say, Kanako might regret having the Celestial handle such heavy labor due to what she needed to get done, but she was left smiling as she watched from beside the pond as the first onabashira was forced into it with a heavy splash that left a rainbow in the sky for a few seconds. Kanako, with a sake dish in her right hand, took a sip of it and said "This isn't so bad, is it Suwako?"

Suwako was sitting and paddling her feet in the air, eating an apple before remarking "Hahaha, ok fine, you win this round Kanako. This is FAAAAAR more entertaining than watching you tear into the Celestial. But now I'm wondering where Sanae went off to." Kanako looked around and found herself pondering that same thing, but was distracted when Tenshi pushed a few keystones out of the water to prop the iron rod upright while letting out a frustrated roar. A laugh preceded the goddess taking another drink of sake.

On the path to the pond, Kokoro was seen slowly dragging an iron rod along behind her. She made a few heavy heaves and grunts, but wanted to show her support for Tenshi's actions even if it hurt her body in the process. After a while, Kokoro accidentally tugged too hard and made some dirt rise up into her mouth, and her cough returned stronger than the last time. The pain in her chest was rougher, but instead of resting she laid a hand down on the rod and was ready to move it again.

"Psstt…" A whisper called to her, and Kokoro looked around until eventually noticing Sanae poking up from behind some rocks. That fire in her eyes was gone, but she still seemed eager about something else. Kokoro focused her gaze on her and she said "Kokoro is it? Can I show you something?" Her voice was kept to an audible enough whisper, but from past experiences with shrine maidens blaring a warning signal in her mind Kokoro quickly looked away and started tugging again.

"Ack! That's rude!" Sanae said, insulted enough to leap out from behind the rocks and stamp her foot down beside Kokoro, making her heart jump against her chest as she turned to look at the maiden, who leaned forward and focused on Kokoro's mask, so much so that she kept followed it around even as the menreiki mentally guided it around her face, like a mouse after cheese.

"What are you doing?" Kokoro said with some mild irritation as she suddenly swiped the mask down in front of her chest, with Sanae reeling back and saying "I heard the stories, but didn't think you actually had masks floating around your body. How many masks do you have?"

"S-Sixty…?" Kokoro wasn't sure she should answer, though she wasn't getting the same oppressive vibe from Sanae that she had from the other maiden. The girl's eyes lit up and she asked "Any Sentai stuff?!" the enthusiasm sweeping across Kokoro's face and leaving her very befuddled.

"W-What?" Was the only response she could muster, and a dejected Sanae said "Oh…Is that a no? …Give me one second!" Her energy came back as gave an abundant leap towards the shrine, flying back with a trail of sparkles behind her. Kokoro didn't know what to make of that, but stuck around as she suspected it wouldn't take very long for her to return.

In fact, nearly a minute later Sanae flew out of the shrine while holding onto something. She dropped in front of Kokoro and held it out. It was a mask, one that had buggy eyes and a rather metallic sheen to it. Beyond that, the menreiki did not know how to describe it, and looked to Sanae for some answers.

"Huh? What is this?"

"Try it on! Please please please!" Sanae was very enthusiastic and repeatedly nudged the mask towards Kokoro, a couple times poking her cheek. Kokoro groaned a bit and was…a little wary about putting it on. But there was no way this shrine maiden was trying to pull something over on her, her demeanor didn't portray that intention.

Cautiously raising a hand, Kokoro took the mask and put it on her face, putting the straps behind her head to secure it. It was a perfect fit and clean save for a bit of dust on the lens that she brushed off. The world looked odd in yellow, and Kokoro blinked a couple times before Sanae shocked her by leaping in front of her view. From Sanae's perspective, the menreiki had a particularly mysterious air to her now.

"Can I know what this is now?" Kokoro asked while patting the sides of the mask and speaking in a filtered voice. Proudly, Sanae plants her fists against her hips and lifted her head up.

"It's a mask from one of my old Halloween costumes! It's based on one of the old fictional heroes in the outside world! I still have the old ensemble in my room, buuuut it doesn't really fit me anymore." As Sanae said that Kokoro directed her attention to the maiden's 'gifts' and dryly said "Wonder why…"

"S-So hey, you have a weapon, right? Think you can try some poses out while you have that on, pleeeeeeeeeease?" Sanae clenched her fists before her chest and leaned forward with waiting eyes, and Kokoro mumbled "…I-I would like to get back to work." Sanae then squealed at a very high pitch out of anticipation, and the menreiki let out a defeated sigh.

" _She's too much for me…"_ Kokoro admitted before raising her right hand up and summoning her glowing blue pike, grasping it tightly and swinging it in front of her, putting it along the length of her arm.

"Now say T'oh!" Sanae exclaimed while swinging her right arm out on the opposite side of her body, a gale of wind blowing her clothes up a little. Kokoro sunk her eyelids a bit and murmured "…Is this payback for messing with you before?"

"W-What? No! I just think the mask fits you!" Sanae was flustered and a bit insulted by Kokoro's judgment and yet because of her own remark, the menreiki hung her head a little and then responded with some embarrassment "Y-You think I'm a hero?"

"Errr, wasn't going that far, but the mask does look more natural on you than it ever did on me!" Sanae exclaimed, and with a tilt of her head Kokoro swiftly asked "…What do you think a hero is?"

"A hero…? Ha, that's so simple to answer I can't believe you didn't know sooner!" Sanae folds her arms together and with a brave look as more wind blew around her hair she then exclaimed "A hero is the advocate of justice, the avenger of the fallen, the punisher of the wicked! A hero hears the cries of those in need and leaps to their aid with bravery and no hesitation whatsoever! And they have cool attack names and catchphrases and…" Before Sanae was lost to her fantasies, Kokoro called out to her.

"O-Ok! I think I get it…So a hero has a kind heart, but is also tough and brave…" Kokoro rests a hand on her chest, feeling it's nervous clench, and then shook her head a little. Sanae was a bit confused by that, but would not get any answers as Kokoro said to her "Thank you for saying that, it gave me a lot to think about. I-I'll try and do a few poses for you now."

Kokoro was a bit shaky even with just one person looking at her, but found that making poses was not very different from dancing in her Noh plays. For a while after, Kokoro fooled around with Sanae as Tenshi continued to do all the hard work, much to her dismay. A part of Kokoro enjoyed the fun she had with Sanae, but saddened to have to return the mask when they were done. By the time Tenshi had finished setting up all the onabashiras in the lake, the sun was setting upon the land.

Tenshi's fingers were throbbing red, her arms as stiff as wood and her face drenched in sweat. She forced her biggest grin as Kanako stood in front of her at the top of the shrine's staircase and told her "Well well, I am definitely surprised you pulled it off. Only took the whole day too." Kanako laughed merrily, while Tenshi restrained every negative thought on her mind behind iron gates.

"So you may now go free. You will not receive my divine retribution unless you try this crap again." Kanako said, and brushed her hand out towards the stairs with a smug look on her face as Kokoro and Tenshi began to depart.

Kokoro looked back to Sanae, who waved her off and said "Hey, come back anytime! And spread the good faith of the Moriyas when you can!"

"Sanae, she's associated with the Buddhists and Taoists, I don't think that'll happen." Suwako said dryly as she crouched down beside her, and Sanae freaked out a bit as she realized what she had done. Kokoro nervously chuckled and then followed Tenshi down the mountain after she had gotten onto a keystone.

Tenshi hid her hands in her armfold and closed her eyes, an irritated grin on her face. Kokoro looked at that and before asking about it heard her say "Is that everything you wanted to get done today Kokoro?" She didn't want to be too angered in front of Kokoro, but her face was bright red.

"I'm sorry this ended up like this…B-But at least you got their forgiveness!"

"Kokoro, can you just…give me a break for tomorrow?" Tenshi spoke tiredly, and Kokoro nodded her head with only a little consideration. Then she started coughing up, this time around feeling a cold sensation in her head along with some slight throbbing.

"Hey, want me to take you back home?" Tenshi mentioned swiftly in concern, but Kokoro shook her head despite how much it hurt to do so.

"I'm…fine. You can go home Tenshi, I'll go back alone. T-Thank you for helping me today…" Her voice was raspy and tired, and it was only with a great deal of thought that Tenshi grit her teeth and replied "Alright, just get some rest. I'll check up on you tomorrow."

Tenshi then flew off, and Kokoro looked ahead to the forest all too ready to just go through with her suggestion. However, someone had other plans in mind, and Kokoro was quickly tackled in the back and dragged right to the ground with a rough landing on her stomach that made her let out an even rougher cough. When the weight on her back is gone, Kokoro slanted her eyebrows and rose to her feet, turning around only to find herself looking both surprised and slightly annoyed.

Standing in front of her with a sleeve covering her quiet laughter was a strange green-haired girl with an eye and some veins hovering around her body. Her pupils were almost shaped like hearts, and her green eyes were still and lifeless. Her clothes consist of a yellow shirt with a dark green collar, and her skirt was also green with a faint flowery pattern on it. Her clothes looked a bit messy, and she didn't have any socks or shoes on.

"Finally, I have you all to myself Kokoro~!" The girl exclaimed, and even in her tired state Kokoro managed a slightly annoyed scowl…

 _Next Time: Nothing_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: The Disappearance of Koishi Komeiji**

"What are you doing here?" Kokoro said, mild irritation in her voice as the lone satori hovered before her. Her eyes wandered around, never once focusing on the menreiki even as she lowered her eyebrows into a slight stare. Though what other attitude could be expected of Kokoro after she was forced to the ground with the force of a large stone?

"Koishi!" Kokoro exclaimed the person's name, and that quickly got their attention as the person rested their fingers against their mouth and said in a sing-song tone "Yeeeeees Kooookooooroooo~?"

"Answer my question, I don't have time to play around." Kokoro was blunt but her voice was raspy, a result of the last coughing fit she had before Koisihi showed up. Koishi was very ignorant of that and said with a disappointing moan "Awwwww, you don't have time to play with me? You aren't growing up already are you?" Kokoro widened her eyes for a moment and then stared at the satori, who was twirling around with her arms out and seemingly not aware of what she just said.

"W-What are you talking about?" Kokoro murmured, but her guest just left things be without a word as all she did was hum and twirl about like a joyous top. She even placed the tip of her foot on the ground to use as a pivot. Kokoro closed her eyes and sighed, turning around and preparing to leave when Koishi suddenly leaped onto her back and wrapped her arms around her neck.

"Where do you think you're going Kokoro? I want to have some F-U-N!" The satori then covered Kokoro's eyes, stunning her for a little until she grabbed the back of those cold hands and tried to peel them away from her face. Koishi slowly fell back to the ground, resting against it like a newly wilted leaf, but with her face bright with a smile.

Kokoro wanted to wander off again, but Koishi quickly stood up and said with her hand waved out "Wait wait wait! I've been following you all day, can't you let me talk?" The menreiki paused and lazily looked back, wondering in pity how the satori could just say such things so casually, even if she wasn't totally in control of her actions.

"All day?" She inquired, and Koishi rapidly bobbed her head. Kokoro widened her eyes a bit and then shook her head while looking forward, but only had her solitude of thoughts for a few seconds before Koishi suddenly flew in front of her and grabbed her hands up to lift them up.

"Come on sourpuss, lets have some fun together!" She proclaimed while bounding up and down, but Kokoro was still focused on another matter entirely and asked "Koishi, about what you said earlier…"

"Huh? What did I say?" They replied, but did so while glancing aside with a slight smirk on their face. Kokoro irritatingly looked into her eyes and murmured "You know exactly what you said. I'm serious Koishi, I have no time for games…I need to go home and rest." Rudely, Kokoro jerked her arms away from Koishi's grip and began to walk around her, but the girl was being much more stubborn than usual and once more flew in front of her.

At this point, Kokoro held her hands up and summoned her pike in the grasp of them both, her mask radiating with blue fire as she clearly said "Move. NOW." Koishi swung her arms up defensively but cracked a smile and proclaimed with the utmost joy "Yaaaay! You want to play now! What are we going to do?"

"…Hide 'n' seek." Kokoro said seriously, her eyebrows raising as though she had a plan. Koishi spun around a couple times and backed off while saying "I loooove that game! Who will hide, who will seek?"

"…I'll hide, you can seek. Count to fifty, and then try and find me." Kokoro put her pike away and calmed down, and Koishi nodded her head twice before resting against a nearby tree and covering her eyes with her sleeves. Kokoro silently flew into the forest, the satori's voice dimming more and more until there was at last silence. The menreiki let out a relieved sigh and just kept moving on, but was having a bit of trouble as the sunlight was now gone and the moon hadn't come out to replace it.

Kokoro wandered in the woods for a little bit, but went slowly to avoid ramming into any trees. Eventually though, she heard a giggle echoing behind her and turned around, seeing a pair of strange pale eyes glowing within the darkness, but then vanished without a trace a moment later. The damage was done though, as Kokoro tensed up and called forth her pike, letting out a slight cough before backing up slowly.

Eventually bumping into something, Kokoro turns and leaps back, ending up surprised to see Koishi again, only this time she was hovering upside-down with her mouth agape in a very bizarre smile as her eyes continued to glow bright. As Koishi slowly spun herself around and rested a foot on the ground, Kokoro was uncertain of just how long had passed since she had tried to deceive the satori, and thus held the pike to their forehead and asked "Did you actually count correctly?"

"Fifty is fifty, I'm not an idiot Kokoro! Not like you anyways, you chose a horrible hiding spot!" Koishi chose to be rather blunt, and Kokoro responded with "Are you just saying that because you found me, or because I thought it'd get you off my back?"

"Yes!" Was the satori's reply as she took the tip of Kokoro's pike to her fingertip and then pushed it to the side, drawing little blood from her skin that she didn't care about as she then hovered inches away from Kokoro's body and said with her eyes closed "We can play another game now! I want to see what you can come up with!"

"Besides the fact it's you…Can you even say why you're bothering me so much, Koishi?" Kokoro inquired, trying to keep her cool as much as physically possible, but then Koishi rubbed up against her face and embraced her in a half-hearted hug and caused the menreiki's emotions to flare a little.

"You're my favorite person in the world, why wouldn't I want to spend time with you!" Kokoro couldn't tell if that was genuine or just the satori's uncontrolled nature at play, but either way Kokoro got rid of her pike and pushed Koishi's forehead to get her to fall back. The satori flipped a couple times in the air with a joyous cry before steadying herself and holding a hand out to the menreiki.

"You're so hard to deal with sometimes, Kokoro!" Koishi said with surprising bluntness, but Kokoro replied with her own equally blunt tone "As if you can talk! Go home Koishi!"

"Home? Home is all of Gensokyo, so tah-dah! I'm already here!" She swung her arms up a few times in celebration. At this point, Kokoro could only think of one thing to say.

"Nemesis, you're like an undying leech. Get off of me and let me go home in peace." Koishi widened her mouth in shock and froze in place for a few seconds, with Kokoro taking advantage of that to walk around her, though her heart did feel a bit weighted with guilt.

" _You weren't this bad last time we saw each other Koishi…Grrr, I can't deal with this right now."_ Kokoro closed her eyes and was hoping that'd be the end of things right now, but then a cold hand grabbed onto her elbow and a more desperate voice called out to her.

"P-Please don't go! I don't want to vanish, Kokoro!" Kokoro paused with eyes widened and then looked back. For a moment, she could've sworn the satori looked exasperated, but their smile was more prominent.

"Koishi…W-What did you just say? Don't try and hide it from me this time." Kokoro turned around and looked the satori in the eyes, and this time she held her arms behind her back and while swaying her hips she said "I uhhhh…Didn't say anything?" At this point the menreiki was left wondering if perhaps, in her own bizarre away, the satori was telling the truth. But what mattered the most was that it was HER voice that said that.

" _Can I…really leave this alone?"_ Kokoro's thoughts were followed by a couple slight coughs, but they didn't feel as rough as before. Then the menreiki looked into Koishi's eyes and told her "C-Can we go somewhere else? A dark forest isn't the best place to talk." Against her better judgment, Kokoro decided to stay with Koishi, just to see if she could find out what's wrong with her. Koishi widened her eyes and then grabbed Kokoro's hands, quickly lifting her out of the forest and spinning her around.

"W-Whoa!" Kokoro was a bit dazed by this sudden action, but Koishi told her before she could say more "I think I maybe remember a place to go! Come on, come on!" Koishi then let go and flew off towards the west, with Kokoro trying her best to keep up with her. Eventually she went down towards the road between this forest and the bamboo one, where a light from a humble food stand shone up and guided the two Youkai to that location.

Running the stand at the moment was Mystia, who was wearing an apron and cook's bandana along with her normal attire of brown dress and feathered winged hat. She was in the middle of cleaning some silverware when Koishi suddenly plopped down on the seat in front of the grill, which shook the whole cart and made Mystia twist herself around in surprise, though that feeling went away when Kokoro showed up.

"Oh it's just you. Brought a friend along for dinner?" Mystia inquired, though gave a few suspecting glares towards Koishi as the Youkai wasted no time reaching past the grill with her sleeve curled up to try and get a dish. Mystia slapped Koishi's hand to make her retract it before telling her bluntly "Pay for your food or you get nothing!"

"Oh, ok!" Koishi chipperly put a hand into her dress pocket and pulled out a small rattling bag, handing it over to Mystia. The shock on her face presently would only increase when she opened it up and was flashed with a few pieces of pure gold. Mystia slowly turned to Kokoro with widened eyes and said "T-This is enough for both of your dinners…Is that ok with you Kokoro?"

Mystia was clearly gripped by her surprise, and Kokoro looked at the satori while wondering where she could've gotten any money. It would be something she wouldn't get an answer for, as Mystia quickly threw some lamprey onto the grill and said "I-I was going to close early for the concert tonight with Kyouko, but that'd be rude to someone willing to pay this much!"

The bird worked her hardest to make sure the food was grilled to PERFECTION, and during that time Kokoro was thinking about what to say to Koishi. Surprisingly, besides a little humming, the satori kept to her seat and didn't cause much of a fuss if at all. When the dishes of fried lamprey and rice rested before the group on the bar, Koishi let out a joyous cry and then started at it wildly with her chopsticks, not caring about the heat of the food.

Kokoro and Mystia stared at her for a few seconds before the menreiki looked the bird in the eyes and said hoarsely "Thank you Mystia…" It took a few seconds, but Mystia then handed a cup of water over to her customer and said "So why exactly are you dragging yourself around with this odd girl this late at night?"

"I-It wasn't planned…I wanted to go home, but then she showed up out of nowhere like she usually does…" Kokoro answered, taking a drink of water to try and get her voice back to normal as Mystia held a hand out and said dryly "Never seen a Youkai like her around before." She looked at Koishi and saw her still chomping down on the food like a ravenous bird, a comparison Mystia wasn't intentionally trying to make.

"She's…from the Underground I think." Kokoro said with some uncertainty, with Mystia stating "Uhhh…huh? Not familiar with any of the Youkais from there, but whatever, a paying customer is a paying customer."

"By the by, weren't you at the forest earlier today? When that flaming girl and the strange outsider came by for food earlier I could've sworn I heard them mention you." Mystia asked, her feathery ears perking up as she smiled curiously. Kokoro wasn't receptive to her curiosity as she was focused on Koishi, who had finished her plate of food at a rather scary speed. Koishi then looked to Kokoro and exclaimed "That was delicious!"

"Mystia, I will have to talk later…I need to deal with this person first." Kokoro then pushed on her plate, even though it was halfway done, and stepped off the seat. Koishi did the same a moment later and twirled around as the menreiki said "I wasn't thinking this location…I want to talk with you alone, please."

Koishi frozen in the middle of a pirouette and then leaned her head back all the way, nearly falling as she stared at Kokoro with her smile and said "Oh ok…! Then I know a better spot!" There was no stopping her from just leaping off the ground and flying away, and Kokoro couldn't even pause to say farewell to Mystia without risking falling behind. Koishi flew for a while until moving towards a simple grassy plain, landing on it softly and putting her arms behind her back as she looked towards the rising moon.

"Do you remember this place, Kokoro?" Koishi inquired as the menreiki landed behind her and let out a cough. Of course, Kokoro couldn't be expected to remember one grassy plain from all the rest in the world, so Koishi looked over her shoulder and said "It's the place from that day you met me with that wacky blue-haired lady!" Her voice was filled with fondness, and oddly a sense that she was speaking willfully about things instead of being guided unconsciously.

"…Koishi, what's going on? Can you tell me NOW?" Kokoro asked, almost BEGGING for an answer, but yet again Koishi swayed back and forth before replying "N-O-P-E…! If I tell you, then you'll leave me, and if you leave me you'll grow up and never see me again!"

"I'm getting sick of-! …Wait, you said that thing again…" Kokoro was halted of her anger once the words registered, and Koishi turned around before stating clearly "Did I ever tell you something interesting about me? People with youthful minds can see and remember me, otherwise I don't exist!"

"Right…" Kokoro said with a slight uncertainty in her voice, and Koishi turned herself around before continuing "If you grow up, then you'll forget me, and then I'll stop existing! So if I stick around with you, you'll never grow up!"

"W-What are you even talking about when you say 'grow up'? I'm a Youkai, I won't-"

"I heard you talking with that weird blonde girl about getting older and becoming a hero! And you're trying to be responsible for yourself, and helping others…You're acting like a grown up more and more every day Kokoro!" Koishi gave a rather shocking response, but her voice wasn't filled with pride…It was gripped with fear, and for once she didn't even crack a smile and just shook her head violently. Kokoro raised a hand up and was left shocked, her mouth agape as she looked at the slight sadness in Koishi's eyes.

"B-But Koishi…I'm not the only person who remembers you. And I don't think-"

"That doesn't matter to me! Do you remember what happened here before, Kokoro? How you tried to make me feel emotions again?"

"Y-You remember that?"

"Yeah! It didn't work at first, but like…I think I felt sadness afterwards, and then I remembered happiness and surprise and joy…! Slowly I've been remembering what it's like to feel different emotions, and I think it's because of being exposed to you Kokoro…!" Koishi hovers closer to Kokoro, who rested her hand on her chest and felt some pain growing in it, followed by her coughing some more.

"Satoris are beings who can read the subconscious of others…I-I think I did something to stop me from doing that, and I lost the ability to feel emotions. But when you connected with me Kokoro…Your subconscious filled in that void a little, and now I slowly remember what it was like before I lost myself! If you forget me, that connection will be gone and that means an empty Koishi again!"

"…Koishi, I don't think I can forget you, even if I grew up. You're an odd girl, but that just leaves an impression on others they can't forget." Kokoro said with some degree of seriousness while closing her eyes, but all of a sudden she felt a sharp pain in her shoulders and opened her eyes to see Koishi grabbing onto her and floating dangerously close to her face.

"You think I'm going to accept an 'I don't think'?! You don't GET it Kokoro!" Koishi's eyes were widened with madness, but a contrasting grin was on her face. Kokoro was stiffened by both fear and a gripping cold in her chest. She coughed again, unable to reply as the satori went on to say "I-I can't take any risks Kokoro…! I don't want to disappear again! I want to be remembered, I want to be able to feel emotions!"

In between her coughs, Kokoro could only give a meek reply of "P-Please…let go of me…you're hurting me…" But Koishi's grip just tightened, her behavior becoming more monstrous as she suddenly pushed the menreiki to the ground, the impact of her head to the ground causing her to suddenly feel warmth flowing into her brain along with some degree of throbbing. Koishi pinned Kokoro's tiny legs to the ground with her own and started panting, her chest heaving with depravity even as she seems to be unaware of just what she was doing.

"You're in pain…But it's ok Kokoro, I'm in pain too! We can get over this pain together…I'll just keep you. You can be MINE, and you'll be at my side forever and EVER. You'll stay young, you'll remember me…And I-I-I…I'll never disappear again! Ha…Hahahahaha! HAHAHAHAH!" Koishi started laughing, and Kokoro's pain increased for every second that she stuck to the ground. She grimaced, the heat in her head and the gripping roughness in her chest causing her vision to blur, something not helped by the tears welling up as she tried to say just one last thing to the satori.

"P-Please…s-stop…K-Koishi…" Then she suddenly slipped into unconsciousness, her head resting on it's side while Koishi flinched and froze in place. After a few seconds she looked down at Kokoro's weary self and how badly she was sweating, raising a sleeve to her hand and feeling rather odd. Her madness had just all been swept away, replaced with concern for her fallen 'friend'. With only a slight thought to guide her, Koishi hoisted the menreiki over her shoulders and flew off, to take her to the one place she would be able to get the assistance needed…

 _Next Time: A Plea to the Enemy_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: The Irregular Illness**

Night's fallen, but while many have fallen into a deep slumber there were two individuals who are unable to find even a moment to rest. At the Myouren Temple, Byakuren and Miko were both overlooking their fevered adopted child as she was laying under a warm blanket with a cold rag laid on her forehead. Kokoro's eyes were shut, and she let out drawn out moans as her face looked slightly red with sweat trickling down her face.

Byakuren paced back and forth in front of the bed, kicking a bunch of thrown about scrolls around on the ground while Miko kneeled besides Kokoro, her shaku leaned against her chin. Miko tapped her chin a few times and then glanced left, finding Byakuren grimacing before she bent down and looked at a scroll.

"Hijiri, stop. None of your scrolls help with illnesses." Miko remarked in a sympathetic but almost pitying manner, with Byakuren suddenly throwing the scroll against the ground so hard it broke through the boards and brought a plume of dirt up. Miko stood up unflinching and moved over to give Byakuren a gentle pat on the shoulder.

Byakuren clenched her fists tightly enough to crack the knuckles and murmured "I knew she was pushing herself too hard, and I ignored her. What kind of a mother am I?" Her voice petered into a whimper, but Miko was there with her wisdom to say "On some level you just wanted to entrust her…I admit I'm probably more guilty of negligence, but if we linger on whose guiltier then we're never going to get anywhere."

"I suppose you're right Miko, but what are our options? Do we just wait and let it run it's course?" Byakuren asked while glancing over her shoulder. Miko backed up and turned, tapping her shaku against her chin again as a certain series of thoughts sprung in one after the other.

"Youkais and humans have their own diseases unique to their bodies…Honestly, I am surprised a tsukumogami could even get a cold. For all we know, this could be infectious to other Youkai, in which case your followers will be in danger, Hijiri."

"Which is why you had them stay at your Mausoleum for the night, isn't it?" Miko cracked a smile just to answer, then quickly put on her inflective expression and mentioned "You and I should be fine, but we need to solve this matter tonight…Otherwise I feel we'd be looking at another epidemic."

"I just wonder who even brought Kokoro to the temple in the first place…Could it have been the Celestial?" Byakuren inquired, but Miko shook her head and told her "Not at all, she would've stuck around to check on her. That strange girl is reliable for that at least."

"True, true…I just wonder if figuring out who brought her back would help determine a possible start of this disease."

"A concern that this epidemic might not have started with Kokoro? A fair observation, but you yourself noted that she seemed weak last time…Honestly, we may both be wise in our own ways, but when it comes to illnesses and such we're certainly novices. We need a third party to check Kokoro out, and…" Miko paused herself, letting out a disgruntled groan for a few seconds, much to Byakuren's surprise.

"You're thinking the same thing I am?"

"I hate to bring that thought to the surface, but yes…There is ONE person who comes to mind. Though I dislike the notion of going to them considering what happened recently is partially their fault."

"We won't be doing it for us…We'll be doing it for her." Byakuren calmly said, a smile widening across her face as Miko turned to her and then Kokoro, focusing on her for a few seconds as she lets out another moan of pain and her head starts tossing and turning.

"You're right, my prejudices towards them can be ignored for tonight. A child's health should be a parents' top priority." Miko lowered her head a little and seemed embarrassed judging by the way she smiled.

"I'll carry her, and you can be the navigator. We shouldn't take too long to get there." With that, Byakuren moves to pick Kokoro up from the bed, but the menreiki grunted at first and wiggled weakly. When that was over, she was held in her mother's arms, and Byakuren gave her a quiet glance as her chest was slowly heaving and sweat coldly dripped onto her sleeves.

"It's ok…Everything will be alright, my daughter…" Byakuren sniffled once and then watched as Miko suddenly laid her cape down atop of Kokoro, slowly wrapping her up in it until she was secure. The two parents gave each other a nod and then slipped out of the temple, flying above the woods for a few seconds until they got close to the Bamboo Forest, at which point they descended into the middle of it and began walking ahead.

Miko was quite cautious, stopping to peek around some of the thicker thickets of shoots. Everything was quiet, not even a rabbit was stirring about. Until the two reached their destination, the only noises came from Kokoro's moans. When the large, old-fashioned Japanese mansion comes into their sight, the two parents stop and keep a safe distance away from it, putting it under observation until Miko could sort something out in her head.

"Lights are on, so somebody's home…But it feels too quiet around here. Normally, this place has hundreds of rabbits wandering about. How should we approach this?" Miko asked with a glance back to a surprised Byakuren.

"I suppose the most we CAN do is knock, wherever we might be able to…" Byakuren said, and with a shrug Miko replied "If nothing else, someone should hear us. I still have my qualms about doing this, but…Lets go." They then approached the mansion, finding the closest shutters, and with a hesitant raised of her shaku Miko knocks on it a few times. Much to her surprise, someone was already there ready to answer.

The shutter slid open to reveal a strange girl with long ivory colored hair and floppy white bunny ears sticking out from the top of her head. Her eyes were pure red, and she wore a short-sleeved white shirt with a red belt and blue skirt. The girl perked her head up in a suspecting manner and murmured "A couple of humans out this late? You're pretty brave to go through the forest, or maybe stupid."

"We need to speak with your master, rabbit. It's a matter of grave urgency…" Miko stepped aside and gestured at Byakuren. After the rabbit said in a peeved tone "It's Reisen Udo-…Holy crap, that girl doesn't look ok. You're here for medicine?" she looked at Kokoro and puts on a slight expression of concern.

Miko and Byakuren nodded their heads, with Reisen pulling back a little and with arms folded commented "Well alright, come on in. You're lucky we're a 24/7 service, but don't try and make yourself at home too much. We're a hospital, not a motel." The rabbit was a bit blunt, but stepped aside and let the parents come in while she moved deeper into the mansion to find her master.

"Hmmm, in enemy territory…" Miko murmured as the shutter was shut behind her, leaving her in a room lit brightly by dozens of lanterns.

"Miko, you can make it through this. We're both having to hold off our opinions on these people, after all." Byakuren said, and Kokoro began to toss and turn in her arms while she made an effort to keep her from falling off. The mother's heart grew heavy, and all she could do is lean down and kiss Kokoro on the cheek. Miko saw that unfold, and after turning she walked over and rested a hand on Kokoro's chest while closing her eyes.

"Kokoro…I'll make this up to you, I swear it." Miko spoke quietly and backed off immediately, right as Reisen returned with her master.

"So…The Crown Prince and the leader of the Buddhists…Definitely not two people I expected to see here." The person was one of mystifying beauty. Her long silver hair was tied into a large braid, and her dark grey eyes hid a mind of infinite wisdom. Her clothing is red and blue, covered in constellation patterns, and she has something on similar to a nurse's cap. Her lips were curled into a smile that was neither cold nor warm, and her attention right away went towards Kokoro.

"And the tsukumogami of 66 masks. Of course the stories were true. Reisen, congratulations, you made a good observation about her condition." The woman stepped forward only once, but then looked at Miko and said to her "For you to come here, I am greatly surprised…As I have the chance, I would like to apologize to all the humans for the stupidity of my people." The way she swiftly mentioned that then gave a slight bow made Miko wonder if she was being sincere, and in turn gave her a glare.

"Eirin Yagokoro…The Brain of the Moon, so I've heard your title is…" Miko sheathed her shaku and then reached for her sword, but Eirin did not flinch even if Byakuren and Reisen shared worries on their faces.

"Yes, that is I, who could've possibly guessed?" Eirin said in a smarmy manner, but no one in the room could have prepared themselves as Miko quickly drew her sword and planted it in front of her kneeling down. Her head was bowed, and her hands were cusped at the top of the handle.

"Please then…I, Prince Shoutoku of the Taoists, offer upon to you all that I have…Every pound of gold and riches, any knowledge that you may still require, and even my mortal flesh and blood if I must…I offer all this for just one humble request in return. Please, can you make my daughter well again?" Miko did not waver for a second, and the response from Eirin was equally surprising after there was nothing but silence for a good minute.

"There is nothing you can give to me, Crown Prince." Eirin spoke with what appeared to be a brushing off gesture out, and Miko gripped her sword tighter and with her body shaking a little she murmured "I-I see…"

"Your gesture is appreciated, but it also makes you look pathetic. Rise up, I refuse to accept payment for your request." Eirin's remark made Miko and Byakuren widen their eyes as Miko lifted her head up with some slight wetness near her eyes.

"So…you're going to help Kokoro?" Byakuren inquired, and Eirin nodded her head but nevertheless pointed out "Of course, you're going to have to give her up to me for a while. But naturally, you don't really have any other options."

"Hmph, no need to put it that way. Hijiri, go ahead. Let us get this over with." Miko stood up and sheathed her sword, but before Byakuren handed her over Eirin clapped her hands and a couple bunnies wearing pink dresses push out a rolling stretcher. Kokoro is laid on top of that, and Eirin pulls the sweat drenched cape off of her and hands it to Reisen.

"Get this cleaned Reisen, I will deal with the patient. Then, I want you to bring our guests tea and mochi. I can tell they are hungry." Eirin follows the stretcher deeper into her abode, and the parents watch as Kokoro's sickly body vanished into the shadows. Reisen held the dripping cape in her right hand and gave it a disgusted expression before looking to the parents, who were not focused on her as she said "Look just…go sit down on the cushions nearby, and don't move anywhere else in the mansion. Seriously, Lady Kaguya is sleeping."

After some time, Byakuren and Miko are knelt down on the fancy patterned cushions, and Reisen had brought back the Crown Prince's now dried cape along with a plate with tea and soft mochi on it. Then she went off to do her own thing, but the parents don't touch the food offered to her. They were both quiet, lost in their own thoughts as time passed. It felt like an eternity even though only a couple hours went by before they heard anything.

Eirin came into the room with the stretcher, and Byakuren wasted no time rushing over to it to look at Kokoro. She looked to be in a state of bliss, with the sweat and high temperature gone from her body. She let out some quiet snores, and because she did not look capable of being disturbed Byakuren leaned forward and embraced her daughter in a gentle hug. As Miko approached her Eirin held a hand out with a vial of purple liquid in her palm and said "You'd better take this. If for some reason or another it returns, this will kill that virus for good."

"You will not accept anything more than a perfect erasure of the virus…Thank you though, your ways with medicine cannot be denied." Miko said as she took the vial, looking over the label while Eirin cracked a smile and explained "You could've likely figured this out on your own, it's nothing difficult." Miko ignored that, as something caught her attention on the label.

"…I beg your pardon, but did you make a mistake?"

"A doubt after an honoring of my skills? What a curious and silly thing to say." Eirin remarked with some arrogance, but Miko just said to her "No doubts, but…This label says this medicine is fit for humans. Kokoro is a Youkai." Byakuren stopped hugging Kokoro for a moment and looked up at Miko, whose face was quite confused.

"Ah, this is your attempt at humor. It seems I did not get the cue to laugh." Eirin said quite straight-faced, but Miko and Byakuren gave her a firm glare as though they felt they were being played with. Eirin raised a brow and with her arms folded under her chest she commented "Wait, you mean you seriously had not determined that?"

"That doesn't make any sense…Kokoro is-"

"A tsukumogami?" Eirin interrupted Byakuren while looking at the menreiki, then continued on to say after letting out a sigh "By nature, she still is. But the masks could clearly not make a vessel for themselves separately and thus unified their purposes into a single unit." The confusion was still marked on the parents' faces, as Eirin's explanation was not understood, and she let out a more audible sigh before she went on again in a more aggravated manner.

"Simply put, the masks created a human body. There, good enough for you?" After that there was silence for a few seconds, leading to Miko clasping the vial in her hand and smiling as she commented "So we've been raising a human this whole time. That's certainly…interesting. Very well, thank you for your help then, we'll take things from here." Miko looked to Byakuren, noticing how she's staring at Kokoro while finding herself unable to stop the bewilderment on her face. Even so, she caressed the side of her daughter's face and felt a hint of warmth, leading to her slowly cracking a smile and giggling.

"…You're right, forgive us both for being fools. We should've known from the start. Thank you, Ms. Yagokoro, and if you ever need a favor in retu-"

"Hmmm, no need to concern yourself with that. Just follow my advice, and return to your lives." Eirin was rather blunt and impatient in her tone, and Byakuren wasted little time in picking Kokoro up in her arms and departing from the mansion with Miko. When they were safely gone from hearing range, Eirin lifted her right hand up and put a capsule in between two fingers. This capsule contained a violet energy within, and as Eirin stared at it for a little Reisen walked into the room.

"Well that's over with. All that hullaboo for a stupid common cold. So hey, what do you even have there?" Reisen inquired, causing Eirin to crack a grin and say "I must say, this is a very complex way to deliver a message to someone. Once more, Reisen, it seems we are being dragged into her plans."

"Oh no, you're talking about HER, aren't you? Why is she dragging us into her schemes AGAIN?" Reisen said with much concern and disdain in her voice, but Eirin just laughed and said "That's what we shall find out. Truly, to have planted a capsule with a disease laced outer layer into the body of that child…Her news must be particularly of interest. Whatever game you're playing, this time I shall be the winner…" Eirin firmly grasped the capsule with determination on her face that frankly frightened Reisen, and for the rest of the night they would spend time together examining their little prize…

After some time, Byakuren and Miko have brought Kokoro back home, having wrapped her in the warmth of Miko's cape. But who would be waiting for them at the entrance than Mamizou, who was smoking a pipe and leaning against one of the walls, her tail waved in front of her body. "So I'd imagine Kokoro is doing better now" was the first thing she said.

"…You knew?" Miko inquired with a suspecting glance as she held an arm out, causing Byakuren to stop. Mamizou lifted her head up and with her pipe removed she shook some of the ashes out and said "I had one of my tanukis keeping an eye on Kokoro from a distance after she left the Human Village this morning. It's a good thing I did too, cause you two made quite the bold move asking the Brain of the Moon for help."

"Bold move, eh? Because of our distrust of those people…Or because we found something out from them that you were hoping we wouldn't?" Miko focused on Mamizou as hard as she could with a slight scowl, but the tanuki gave a piercing glance and said "It's foolish to assume I could hide things from you, Crown Prince. Yes, you did end up discovering something, but before you make assum-" It was too late, as Miko had already drawn her sword and brandished it forward.

"How long, tanuki…?"

"…It's not 'how long' you should be asking but rather 'how did I know'? Before you waste your energy falling for her inane plans, hear me out." Mamizou said as she bravely walked away from the wall, but Miko stood her ground and said "Make good on your time, tanuki."

"Not long ago, I heard the truth from the gap Youkai. I have no idea why, but I'm the only one she chose to tell. There's something you both need to understand…I didn't want to tell you the truth because of the person in question I heard it from. I'd rather trust a damned Lunarian than that witch." She then folded her arms into her sleeves and stood beside Miko, who was giving her a piercing glare as she was tempted to swing her sword that way.

"Hate me if you want for this Crown Prince, but the enemy is that witch, not me. I do care for Kokoro, even if that may sound like deception. I'll be damned if I let her keep getting away with her plans to mess with us like we're mere tools." Mamizou then pulled out a scroll from her sleeves and flashed it briefly enough before the two parents so they'd register it, then she went on to say "I'm getting close to something that can stop the witch, but I'm going to require something from you…Hijiri."

"…Why me?" The Buddhist inquired.

"Not you specifically but rather…You need to ask Shou and Nazrin to meet me at the stairway to the Hakurei Shrine tomorrow. Their abilities will come in handy."

"Ok, I can do that." Byakuren said with little hesitance, but Miko just widened her eyes and looked back at her as she then mentioned "But I want to know something else from you, Mamizou. Is that gap witch targeting Kokoro?"

"…I believe so, yes." Mamizou replied with her head hung slightly.

"Then we'll do what we can to keep Kokoro safe. She won't lay a finger on our daughter." Byakuren gave the tanuki a firm glare, earning a cheshire smile and a chuckle in turn as Mamizou told her "Of course…Kokoro is in good hands, but…"

"The only way your daughter will truly, TRULY be safe is if that witch is finally put down. Not just for her, but for the sake of all Gensokyo. For now, you two have been through a lot, and I'd recommend getting some sleep." Mamizou then wandered off towards the woods, and Miko had no choice but to sheath her blade and murmur "She's made her point, and it bothers me that I agree with her."

"Yes, but…We should definitely take her advice. We can better think on this tomorrow." Byakuren and Miko thus retreat into the temple for the night, laying Kokoro to bed and hoping that the tanuki's warning would not come to pass. Oh, if only there was a god to answer their prayers…

 _Next Time: Crisis of Identity_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Kokoro's Sick Day**

" _I-I-I…I'll never disappear again!"_

Kokoro's eyes snapped open, but she found herself welcomed only by a chilling darkness. Her body was hunched back, twisted as much as her spine could handle, but she just looked around without a thought. A large eye with a purple fleshy encasing swung around the darkness and let out a heavy "woosh!" with Kokoro jerking her head back only to just stare into the darkness again, though with a strange feeling suddenly latching onto her stomach.

She looked to the left and saw something with hollowed out eyes, wrinkles extending out from the edges and the lips cracked and grey. Even so, the white hair with blue highlights and the pagoda-like hat could not be mistaken. Fingernails loudly tore the fabric of Kokoro's clothes until they were dug into her skin, but it wasn't just this one ghastly figure who did this but a dozen or so that piled onto Kokoro and ripped into her very being. She could recognize each and every person that attacked her as someone she had wronged with her powers.

"P-Please…why are you doing this…?" was followed by a pained gasp as two fingernails plunged into her neck.

" _You've doomed us…You're doomed us all!"_ A unified chant of heaves and echoes through Kokoro's ears, but once a hand clamped atop her mouth she was left only to feel her consciousness fading.

Dragged slowly into the winding spiral of darkness, Kokoro watched as a giant pair of glimmering yellow circles pierced through it all, followed by a pair of hands pushing aside the black fog and catching the violated menreiki in her grasp. Though the hands lowered, hope was not found in the blank eyes of the green-haired giant that had caught her. A cold sensation, one of depravity, crept into Kokoro's limping form as the giant brought her closer and closer.

" _If I have you to myself…I'll never ever disappear! Heheheh, isn't this delightful, Kokoro?!"_ The bellows of the subconscious voice ruptured Kokoro's eardrums right as she was then whisked away into the vacuum of the giant's mouth, breaking away all remaining feeling in her body.

Before her sanity could be broken completely, Kokoro's body awoke with a jerk upright, her quivering hands wrinkling the top of the blanket her body laid under. Her heartbeat was all she registered until she looked and saw she was in the comfort of the Myouren Temple. Light crept through the shutters, giving some much needed warmth to the menreiki.

After looking around a little more, she focused on a smooth ceramic cup to the right. It was filled with a warm liquid, and smelled like an oriental flower. Slowly but weakly she picked it up and went to sip it, though a little liquid shook out and heated the back of her hand.

"O-Ow…" The pain confirming she was awake, she then took a drink and let the taste linger in her mouth just until it was safe to swallow. Her chest warmed as a river of relaxation flowed down her throat, and after cupping it in both hands she put the drink on her lap with a tiny smile.

Then one of the shutters slid open halfway, where her 'mother' Byakuren peeked in and let out a gasp.

"You're awake! Thank the Buddha…" The shutters swung open with a "Thud!" the priestess kneeling beside the bed in the link of an eye and laying a hand on Kokoro's head, the menreiki looking up as her heart calmed.

"M-Mommy…?"

Byakuren breathed a sigh of relief and pulled back, resting her hands on her lap before asking "Are you feeling better?" to her puzzled daughter.

"I-I…" Kokoro looks down, seeing that her skin was clean of sweat. The only heat she felt was in her hands, and her chest didn't have a single itch in it. Instead, there was a hollow feeling in place of that, and she couldn't tell if it was born of guilt or fear. After a minute, Byakuren let out a quiet grumble and glanced aside.

"Kokoro, it might be too soon but…As your mother, I have the right to know where you were yesterday." Kokoro looked up and saw the distraught look on her mother's face, her eyes not focusing her way.

"…I was just…I was just out with Tenshi helping a couple people. I don't how I got sick." She shook her head, and Byakuren closed her eyes with a nod.

"I-I see…Perhaps you caught something while you were out. And pushing yourself so hard-"

"I-I wasn't pushing myself! I took it easy, honest!" Kokoro's voice was defiant yet reassuring, eliciting shocked from her mother. Byakuren raised her hand and opened her mouth, but stopped without a word. The two looked away from each other, with Kokoro breaking the somber silence.

"I'm sorry mom…I'm sure you were worried about me."

"All of us were. You were suddenly dropped off on our doorstep with your body drenched in sweat, and your face looked so…So…" Byakuren bit her lower lip and tears were seen in her eyes. Kokoro felt curious about one thing though _"I was dropped off? …But the only person there was…?"_

The hollow shock on Kokoro's face was missed by her mother. Her mind was a maelstrom of confusion, the only thought coming through cleanly _"Koishi…why?"_ could not be given an answer here. The cup of tea was put down, and Byakuren stood up as Kokoro tried to push herself out of bed.

"You need to rest! You just got over a dreadful illness!" The menreiki did not stop and limped forward, her leg as wobbly as a noodle. Byakuren bent forward and caught her collapsing body, but not without her murmuring "I need to go mom…There's someone I-I have to…"

"Not until you get some energy back Kokoro. Please, just…" Kokoro laid a hand against Byakuren's shoulder and propped herself up, her mother looking concernedly in silence.

"I have to help someone…I'm worried they're going to do something they'll regret."

"Who, Kokoro? Maybe I can handle that while you rest." Byakuren backed off once Kokoro was upright, trying hard to keep a smile even as the menreiki shook her head. Her mind was weak and in doubt. With a slip of tongue she said "Koishi…" and clamped her hands against her mouth with a gasp. Byakuren laid a finger to her chin and thought on that.

"The nearly enlightened satori? Well, I don't know what would be troubling her, but I can give it a shot. Just stay here and relax Kokoro…I'll have Miko come and assist you if necessary, and Ichirin and Murasa will be around as well." Byakuren patted Kokoro on the shoulder, gliding the hand to her chin to help her look at her genuinely smiling face and the assuring aura projected around her.

"O-Oh…ok…" A deflated voice came from a head hung low. Byakuren nodded then slowly backed away, looking over her shoulder for a few seconds before leaving the room, keeping the way out open. Perhaps out of trust? Kokoro had no idea what to make of things as they stood and with a tired face she slowly wandered out of the room, greeted by the blinding rays of the sun.

"Nhhhh…" She raised an arm as shade and wandered down the halls until her eyes adjusted, allowing her to see that there were some clouds out today. The attitude of the temple goers was chipper despite that. Kyouko was doing her usual singing and sweeping, Nue hovered over and teased her with bits of litter thrown about, though Unzan was nearby to stretch his hands out and catch what he could. When Kyouko finally noticed, she was not upset, but instead the three laughed happily.

The echoes of their laughter caught Kokoro's attention as she peeked behind a column. Kyouko happened to notice and waved with a perky proclamation "Good morning! You had us all worried Kokoro!" but the menreiki did not reciprocate and looked to her friends until her heart clenched and she ran off. Kyouko made a peep and broke into a sprint, but Unzan blocked the way with a gigantic hand and with a bellowing grumble shook his head.

Kokoro ran and ran through the halls until she was close to the always foggy graveyard, stopping to catch her breath near another column. She heaved for a few seconds, her chest in pain, but was able to lift her head up and speak clearly "Maybe I should slow down."

She walked out into the fog, finding a tall enough gravestone that she could just sit down in front of and be obscured. Once rested, she put her arms on her lap and closed her eyes to think _"Mommy can't help her…I have to be the one to set things right, but how?"_

"… _Do I even want to?"_ As haunting memories of the satori's behavior played back in her head, Kokoro hunched her legs and laid her face against them. Her arms pressed the front of her legs enough to draw noise from the bone and her body quivered.

"I'm afraid…I'm so afraid. I-I can't be a hero, not when I'm a failure…" With her wallowing in loathing, the menreiki heard not the tip-toeing behind the gravestone, nor did she notice the shadow cast down from a strange tongued umbrella.

"SURPRISE!" This cheerful announcement thrust Kokoro's head back and hit the front of the gravestone. Her mind was left ringing with pain in the back of her skull, and as she rubbed the sore spot the voice let out an empathetic "Oooooh" while creeping out into view.

The adolescent looking Youkai stuck out their tongue innocently and looked at Kokoro with their heterochromia red/blue eyes, grasping their purple tongued umbrella behind their blue-green vest and light blue skirt. As a breeze swept through, the girl's turquoise hair swayed, and she folded her umbrella while blushing.

"A-Ah I'm sorry, I should've known it was you! Are you alright?" They shook their head back and forth, then held their hand out to Kokoro as she focused their way.

"Kogasa…" The ambusher recognized, the menreiki groaned and then attempted to stand up, wobbling halfway through but managing stability as she continued "…I'll be fine."

"That looked painful, I wouldn't want you to slumber again so soon." Kokoro paused for a second and glanced half-heartedly at the living umbrella.

"…You knew?"

"Y-Yeah! I put together a cup for you to drink out of while I was told to stay away from the temple. I hope it was good. I'm not the best craftsman, but I'm not the worst…Still, the framing of the insides to protect against the heat-" As Kogasa went on quite assuredly, the menreiki thought back to the cup and it's finer details, then smiled a little.

"Thank you Kogasa, I liked it." Kogasa perked up with mouth agape, her lips soon curling into a smile brimming with confidence that made both parties satisfied. Though it was not long before a more relaxed voice took part in the conversation.

"Ah, so it was not a wandering fellow but rather a friend. A gathering of tsukumogami…Must be fate at work here." The person that approached had a demeanor of absolutely tranquility. Not even an explosion could budge their gentle face. Her short red wavy hair, sporting white and black clothing and purple tie projected a rather "cool" presence towards her fellow Youkai, while the mallets attached to her hips and placed on the back of her shoes made it clear what object she had been born from. Kokoro faced the tsukumogami with slight surprise on her face.

"You're here too, Raiko?" Raiko's response was a subdued chuckle, then coolly she raised a mallet and twirled it between her fingers until brandishing it forward with some flourish.

"Not a hello, but a 'you're here too'? I suppose we haven't seen each other since that day, but…" She played up being offended, but the menreiki responded with a quick and respectful bow.

"I-I'm sorry…I'm glad to see you again." Kokoro's lack of energy got Raiko stating right away "Ah yes, as our umbrella friend said, you're recovering from a cold…Or perhaps something else has thrown off your groove, Kokoro?" The menreiki froze up, rising up only a couple seconds later, the puzzled eyes of Kogasa and the smile on Raiko's face weighing heavily on her heart. Yet she didn't say anything, glancing aside and holding her hands tensely before her skirt.

"…You know…" Raiko twirls the mallet around beside her face, closing her eyes and explaining with her serene honesty "I respect the judgments and wishes of your parents, I don't intend to come off as a rebel when I say this but…" A glide of her hand down the air strummed a tune as the mallet stuck beside her hip, ending with her extending that hand out towards Kokoro with a gentle smile.

"You can be open around us. We're here to help." Kokoro's eyes were wide for a bit, but they were dots compared to Kogasa's bulging peepers. The umbrella pointed at herself and stuttered "W-Wait…Me?" Raiko simply nodded her head with a smile.

"We're all tsukumogamis, thus, we are able to understand each other quite easily." She then paused while Kogasa registered the words with a tilt and a stutter of "W-Well…I-I'm not wise…I'm only smart when it comes to crafting stuff…I mean, can an umbrella be worth anything else?" Raiko and Kokoro's eyes met, and the menreiki let out a slight groan while thinking things through.

"I-I don't know if you could understand, but I'm willing to try. I…I can't let mommy handle this alone, she doesn't know what she's getting into." Kogasa looked at her after and asked "Hold on, Byakuren could be in trouble? What were YOU getting into, Kokoro?!" Her tone clearly showed the bewilderment towards the menreiki's trouble-finding nature, especially as she pushed her face close to Kokoro's.

"I-It's not like that Kogasa. It's…" Kokoro paused, crossing her arms back and looking aside while she slowly and awkwardly explains "T-There's this person…She-uh…THEY are odd. They aren't exactly…in control of themselves. Something about me allows them to feel better, feel more in control…But they are scared of me changing because they could disappear. I don't know how to help them…A-And I'm scared of seeing them again because they couldn't accept the answer I gave them before. If I don't help them though, they…Well, I don't know WHAT they could end up doing…"

Raiko paid heed to those words for a good while, nodding her head and turning around to gather her thoughts. She swung a mallet around beside her shoulder while Kogasa leaned her way with an intrigued expression until Raiko suddenly swung around and pointed her way.

"Kogasa!"

"Eeep! Yes?! What?!" Kogasa fumbled back upright with a loose grip on her umbrella, and Raiko glided her hand out before asking gently "You experienced babysitting, I believe you mentioned. Tell us, what was that like?" With her gaze moving around in confusion the umbrella girl settled on leaning to the left and gathering her thoughts perfectly.

"W-Well…There were some rowdy kids I had to deal with. You can tell them what to do, but they will try and be disobedient. I found I had a lot more success when I didn't try to control them and worked with them on their level."

"Thinking like a child, in other words. Fittingly, a tsukumogami can have young minds depending on how they were born, and learn to develop their own ids, ego, and superegos. But, I don't want to sidetrack onto a tract on that so I'll get to the point…" Raiko tucked her hands into her coat pockets and continued with a calm gaze towards the puzzled Kokoro "The solution to your problem is simpler than you realize. Meet the person you want to help as an equal. Do not deny their request, offer to guide them through their problems."

"I-I don't get it…" Kokoro admitted with her head slowly shaking, yet Raiko had an answer right away.

"Be a friend, Kokoro. The vibe I get from this is that you two are connected…Whether that's fate at work or not, I cannot say. It's your decision though whether you want to listen to this whimsy at work." Next up, Kogasa turned to look at Kokoro and leaned close enough so her ensuing whisper would be heard.

"Kokoro…I think I know who you're talking about now. It's that girl that lost her subconscious, isn't it?" But the menreiki does not pay attention, her eyes looking a little blank as her consciousness retreated into the depths of her mind, dredging up the memories she shared with the satori both good and bad. They formed a whirlpool around her drifting body, giving her perfect perspective of them all as they glided by.

Reviewing them one after the other, there was something she had difficulty accepting. Even the worst of the memories, the theft of the Mask of Hope and the incident the day before, couldn't be looked at in as much of a negative light as she would be inclined to admit. Instead, Raiko and Kogasa's words got her thinking _"Koishi has never truly done me wrong…She's always had the mentality of a child, and all she's done was just her way of grabbing attention. And all I've done is treat her like a pest, a nemesis…"_

The innards of Kokoro's mind got soggy, the memories blurring up as she took her hands to her face both in the consciousness and in reality. But on the outside, her eyes welled up with tears she couldn't control, concern beaming towards her from the gazed of her company.

"K-Kokoro…?! I-I didn't mean to do this, honest…!" Kogasa's tone was frantic and full of regret, with her taking the umbrella and hoping to use it's tongue to clean the tears off, but the menreiki just pulled her hands down and had an odd 'smile' on her face as tears leaked through the creases of her closed eyes.

"I-It's my fault again…! W-Why am I such an idiot…? I should've been helping HER all this time, and yet…I guess a part of me just couldn't get over a petty grudge! I-I have to make this right you guys!" Without a second thought, Kokoro turned and sprinted off, her feet kicking up a wind that pushed Kogasa beside Raiko.

"S-She's didn't even say thanks or goodbye…" While Kogasa was flustered, Raiko cracked her earnest of smiles and said "That's fine. What matters is that she's following her heart…After all, Kokoro is nothing BUT heart." Kogasa sighed, supposing she couldn't disagree.

"T-Though uhhh…Shouldn't we have tried to stop her? I don't think she was meant to leave the grounds today. Byakuren was pretty firm on that." Raiko widened her eyes and with her mouth agape stuttered "S-Such is the whims of fate…T-That we'd have to endure whatever punishment she gives us." It was something those two would have to reflect on, but for Kokoro…It was the beginning of the longest day of her life.

 _Next Time: The Tiniest Hero_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: The Tiny, Tiny Hero**

Dashing through the forest, her heart filled with concern, Kokoro swung her head in all directions in search of Koishi. Her energy had returned after the illness she had suffered through, but the memories of that event were far behind her at this point. Those memories were consumed by concern for Koishi' state of being, and simultaneously gripped by the fear that the satori could cause trouble for others.

The imagery of her mother in particular came to the forefront, followed by her stopping and resting a hand against a tree to catch her breath. Even if the illness wasn't left in her system, her recently awakened self was not ready for any fervent sprinting.

"I can't just go blindly…There has to be some hint to her location." Kokoro rested up against the tree, using the cool breeze to calm her mind and give herself a better chance of figuring stuff out. She wasn't certain how far away from the temple she was, as there were no breaks in the forest as far as her eyes could see. At the very least, it would take Miko some time to find her once she realized her missing presence.

"…Haaaaaa…" A tired sigh permeated the air, mixing with the chirps of tiny birds that flew over the canopy. A deflating Kokoro slunk down until she her small body was tucked neatly between the two thick wooden roots. Once her legs were up and her arms held against the front of them, the menreiki looked to the sky, assuming coincidence would lead to Koishi suddenly flying by. After a minute, the closest thing that came by was the bug Youkai Wriggle.

Head hung with a sigh, Kokoro could only think of one possible thing "How can you find someone without a presence?" and then grumbled with some slight frustration in her voice. She cursed her overeagerness in this situation, and briefly pondered the idea of returning to ask Miko for help.

"…No, no I can't do that." There was a pause followed by a head shake, yet Kokoro had no clue as to why she did that. Miko was the smartest person she knew besides Mamizou…

"Oh!" A spark of inspiration struck Kokoro like a fist to the face, and she shot up onto her feet to exclaim "Mamizou could help me find her! She's got a good nose…and a good brain!" Her youthful choice of words came out with her usual stoicism, even though her heart was racing with excitement. She was about to break into a sprint when all of a sudden she realized something, and froze with a fist swung out.

"Oh wait, I don't know where she is either." Kokoro then forced herself back against the tree and let out another sigh, lamenting to anyone who might be listening "I have to find a person to find another…Isn't this what mommy called a game of Shou and Nazrin?"

If nothing else though, Kokoro had a smidgen of an idea where to find the wise tanuki. The Human Village was her best bet, and she had an idea of where to find it from here without having to fly. This time, with a more certain spring in her step, Kokoro dashed forward ready to make her way to the village when suddenly…

"Scram, dumbass!" A shrill and angry voice screamed out the second before the person in question rammed Kokoro's side, making her rotate around a couple times before she's able to stumble out a couple feet and look at the person, only seeing their spiky black hair and white dress before they slipped between the flurry of shadows from the branches.

"…That person looked familiar…" Kokoro was about ready to just shake the matter off and go back to her own business when suddenly she heard a sharp chirp coming from her back along with a tiny grunt and a peck against her clothes. Thus she turned around and her attention was immediately drawn to a blue bird that had fallen onto it's back.

"Oh…Sorry little bird." Kokoro bent down and tried to pick the bird up, but it fluttered it's wings around and let out a squack or two before it sprung back onto it's feet without looking the least bit injured. However, it flew up before Kokoro's face so quickly that she pulled back in shock, forced to listen as the bird madly chirped at her then took off out of the forest, the menreiki's eyes trailing it until it was a blip in the cloudy sky.

"Why was that bird chasing that person? Nature is weird…" Kokoro shrugged her shoulders, thinking nothing else of the event as she turned around and began to head off.

"He-! Wh-'s the bi- id-a?!"

Kokoro paused and looked around, trying to find the source of the voice she just heard. It wasn't the person who passed her by, it definitely couldn't have been the bird coming back for an undefined revenge.

"Lo-k at me! Y-u stu-d, stu-id head!" The voice came out more clearly this time, confirming to Kokoro that they weren't someone she knew at the least. But without a way to find the person she shook her head and readied to move on again. Someone or something must be very annoyed at Kokoro today though, as she was YET AGAIN impeded by a feeling of her left leg being grabbed from the front.

The menreiki didn't even get a chance to lift it up before a sharp poking sensation shot through her nerves and forced her to kick up with the speed of a slingshot. Something was launched off, a violet blur that knocked some leaves from the canopy as Kokoro looked down and saw a speck of blood below her kneecap. Before she could rub the sore spot, something fell on top of her head and made her budge slightly.

It weighed as much as a glass plate, but must have been some type of human-like creature because the skin felt similar to the touch of Kokoro's mother or father as it laid on her scalp. Once she stood upright, the menreiki lifted her eyes up but could only note a couple strands of violet hair until she plucked the strange creature by their clothes and held them out in front of her face.

The person was a flailing maniac with a tiny noodle bowl as their hat for their short hair, and they also had on a pink Kimono that was so big that only her tiny hands and feet poked out. In her left hand was a tiny sewing needle, and it didn't take long for Kokoro to figure out why she bled. Though the tiny person was madly flailing and saying things, the menreiki had been so distracted by how bizarre the inchling was that she hadn't heard a single word coming out clearly from their mouth until now.

"-and you think you can just pinch me like I'm a doll?! Bring me in closer, I can fell titans like you with my needle! Have at you, have at yooooou!" The person tried to thrust it's needle out at Kokoro's eyes, but a quick pull away stopped that nonsense swiftly. Befitting it's size, the person ran out of energy and was left panting, having no choice but to be suspended between Kokoro's fingers as the menreiki wondered just what to say next.

"Uhhh…Who are you?" The inquiry was met by the tiny person squealing out "Who am I?! Who are you you…big mean masked wall!" Their immature retort surprised Kokoro, not because of the words, but rather that for once someone didn't recognize her on first glance. It wasn't something she was used to, and thus left her stuttering to respond.

"I-I'm Hata no Kokoro…Why are you so tiny?" That probably wasn't the best thing to ask, as the person shook their fists and retorted with a tone more bitter than a grape "Why are YOU so big?! I'll have you know that I'm not usually this small! Now lemme go! I need to go stop Seija!" That spoken finally broke the awkwardness and brought a connection between the menreiki and the inchling.

"Seija…?" Kokoro's mind remembered the amanojaku from an encounter the two had, when the devilish Youkai used it's trickery to make it's way into the Myouren Temple and steal something precious to her mother. Though the Youkai was bested and the item was returned, it seems that was not enough to stop their mischief. The inchling was felt swaying back and forth between Kokoro's finger to try and slip out, an effort that was slowly working as they looked back to where Seija had sprinted off.

"Yeah yeah! I was flying after them when your big body got in the way! Now I have no way to catch up to her! Gaaaah, all those months of finding her wasted!" That last burst of frustration was enough to get Kokoro to let go, but not without catching the person with a flip of her hand. The inchling was surprised, and stood up to look Kokoro's stoic eyes straight on.

"E-Eh…? What, you're feeling pity now? Don't look down at us little folk!" The inchling swung her needle around, but before she could do any harm she was jolted by Kokoro lifting her hand up to put the inchling level with her eyes. With her mouth agape, the inchling's attitude did a complete reversal as she kicked a foot up with a cherry blush in her cheeks and murmured "W-Well…Hehehe, I didn't expect this." Their laugh was filled with child-like innocence, and they held their needle before their waist with a merry sway.

"Can I make it up to you by finding Seija?" Kokoro inquired after being enamored by the cutesy inchling for a while, followed by them letting out a prolonged gasp.

"Y-You mean it? But wait, why do you have a stake in my problems? Oh! Did that meanie hurt you too?!" The person pumped their fists and seemed almost ecstatic, and Kokoro replied with a quaint nod of the head.

"I stopped Seija once before." She looked aside, almost ashamedly, before continuing to say "But I didn't do a good enough job if she's still causing trouble." The inchling tilted her head in confusion, but perked it back up for a smile.

"Haha! So you're the one who got her to lose those items! Then that means you did a great job, cause now people like me can finally stop her!" Her proclamation was followed with a swift punch forward, and after a couple blinks Kokoro asked "What did she do to you?"

"That jerk faced jerk made me try to start a revolution! After that I tried to get a bounty on her but no one could defeat her even with unavoidable Danmaku! Curse those stupid items and whoever taught her how to use them!" As the inchling stamped her feet a couple times Kokoro recalled hearing about those events, and immediately had to put blame onto Mamizou for that last part.

"M-Maybe you aren't always smart, Granny Mammy…" Kokoro rubbed her forehead while the inchling looked at her in confusion. Once she was done the menreiki asked "N-Never mind, I'll help you out. What's your name?"

"Oh! I hadn't told you! My name is Shinmyoumaru, but you can call me Sukuna…Hero of the Small and Weak!"

"H-Hero? You're a hero…?" Kokoro's surprise was met with an innocent stare into the inchling's eyes as she proceeded to express her curiosity "Please, show me what a hero is like!" but almost blew Sukuna off with the force of her voice. The bracing inchling held her hat and lifted her head up with a smile.

"A-Alright…! I can do that! Come on, we might still have a chance to catch up to her!" Sukuna then leaped bravely onto Kokoro's head, using the hairs to keep herself stable as the menreiki began to glide through the forest, following the footsteps on the ground for a minute until they noticed a few claw marks on the trees that were getting increasingly lower down the bark. It didn't take long after for them to find their target halfway towards the ground, struggling to hold a low branch.

They looked absolutely pitiful with their white dress torn and cuts across their arms and legs, bruises prominent on their cheeks and elbows. Their hair was tattered and their tiny horns were chipped slightly. Their red eyes were filled with a primal frenzy as they shifted their head back to glare at the approaching Kokoro and Sukuna.

"You gnat, get away from me! Haven't you had enough?!" The amanojaku swung a claw back as the other fell to the ground, and Sukuna stood atop Kokoro's head and proclaimed with her needle held high "Not until you are stopped! Watch and learn Kokoro, I'll show you what the Little Hero can do!" With a leap unbefitting her size, Sukuna spun herself until landing on the ground, but her height didn't even reach Seija's knees as the amanojaku rose to her feet.

"Hehehe…You brought along that easily tricked putz? You're so desperate to stop me, but it's your own stupid naivety that caused your problems!" Seija's tongue was sharper than any knife even as she struggled to stand up, but after a gulp the inchling's retort was at the tip of her tongue.

"S-Shut up! You used me! You tried to take my proud heritage as an inchling and use it for your rebellion! You're a troublemaking meanie Seija, and your presence isn't welcome in Gensokyo!"

"GET! REAL!" Seija angrily swung her claws out and with a look of pure fury she glared down upon Sukuna and bluntly said "I don't care how much you hate me! I LOOOOOVE the idea of being hated! But if you're going to spout nonsense about unwelcome presences, then why not look to those Youkai who abuse loopholes in the Spell Card System to get away with their madness?! What about that vampire? The gap witch? Hell, look at that stupid set of masks behind you that calls itself a person! They caused an incident outside of the Spell Card Rules and didn't get punished at all! This whole system is flawed, broken…It needs to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up, along with all of Gensokyo!"

"No! No it doesn't! You're just talking with your hated as an amanojaku, Seija!" Sukuna was unaware as she spoke, but Kokoro froze up once the amanojaku accused her. Yet that feeling would be flushed away once the inchling stood her ground with gritted teeth and spoke out "People like you, who sow chaos in their wake…Are the ones that need to go!"

"You can talk big inchling, but you're always going to be small…" Seija switched from angered to arrogant on the turn of a dime, leaning back against the tree and looking down upon Sukuna with a scowl. "Come on…You think you can stop me? What are you going to do? Bite me to death?" Kokoro stepped forward, but Sukuna held her right hand out to stop her. The menreiki barely noticed that, but stepped back once she did.

"A hero…CAN rely on others for help. But that's alright Kokoro, you did your job by bringing me here. Please, let me have the chance to make this right…For everyone who has been tricked and wronged by this amanojaku." Sukuna then pulled out from her sleeve a golden mallet with a fancy pattern on it. Seija took interest right away.

"Heh? The Miracle Mallet? Oh come on now…what good is that thing to you?" Sukuna glared, and then with sparkles flowing around the mallet that were filled with magic the inchling bonked herself on the head. A second later the namesake of the mallet occurred, as Sukuna became much bigger than she was before. She was still a foot shorter than the now in awe Kokoro at her full height, but her needle was now an actual weapon rather than a leg scratcher.

Swiping the needle in front of her face, Sukuna reached into her kimono and pulled out a couple slips of paper with a mythical vibe to them and slapped them around the needle, causing it to glow with a bright white light. For the first time, Seija's face contorted into a scowl of shock, while Kokoro's mind was filled with some slight familiarity.

"A-Aren't those…?"

"Reimu's Youkai banishing cards? Yeah, I swiped them from under her nose for just this occasion. Get ready…!" Sukuna swung her needle out, the peaceful energy cutting the top of the grass as the inchling proclaimed "Here I come Seija!" The amanojaku had two seconds to react as Sukuna leaped at her, but couldn't take advantage of that period of time fast enough and had part of her hair sliced clean off. Her scalp was singed by the holy energy around the needle, and then she let out a hallow scream before collapsing onto the ground.

Seija started crawling, dragging her nails into the dirt as she tried to rise back up, but as she was halfway there Sukuna sliced through the back of her dress to not only draw blood but leave a large tear in the cloth. Seija spun around and fell onto the ground, her very flesh sizzling from behind. Sukuna stood over her with the expression of a fierce warrior, her body trembling as she grabbed the needle in both hands and hoisted it over her head with it pointed straight down at the frenzied Seija.

With neither the strength nor drive to fight back, Seija could only weakly swing her claws at Sukuna while proclaiming "G-Get off me…!" But her words fell on deaf ears as the inchling glared into her eyes and said "Goodbye Seija…And g-good riddance!" Those tiny hands of hers trembled even as they firmly grasped the needle, and as she watched on in silence Kokoro felt that something wasn't right about this.

" _I don't think a hero would do this…"_ There was no need for hesitation, the menreiki sprinted forward and before the needle went down like a guillotine Kokoro had her hands around the inchling's wrists. Thankfully, she didn't have to apply much force to get Sukuna to look back. The inchling didn't respond harshly, she just looked at Kokoro with a puzzled expression and shook her head a little.

"I-I don't know if I can actually do it…!" Her eyes were welling up with tears, her face taking on the demeanor of a child. There was certainly a harsh reality to accept when it came to taking someone's life. Reminded of the time she stood over Tenshi with similar rage on her mind, Kokoro had one thing to say to the inchling.

"She's not worth getting blood on your hands. You could never live with yourself if you did." Kokoro shook her head, feeling Sukuna's muscles easing in the time she looked away, and eventually the arms dropped to her sides as she stepped off of a panting mad Seija.

"Heh…Hehehe! You're a coward! You don't have what it takes to finish me off!" Sukuna turned away from the amanojaku just enough that she just had to glance a little over her shoulder to say "You're all alone, you're beaten and pathetic…Why do I need to kill you? Enjoy the rest of your life, Seija."

Sukuna holds Kokoro's hand and silently walked her away from the amanojaku, who was left weak on her back, cackling like a madwoman. Kokoro looked back with only pity on her mind until the sounds could no longer be heard, which then allowed Sukuna a chance to turn and look at the menreiki, their eyes meeting only for a moment before she hung her head down.

"T-That wasn't very heroic of me, was it?"

"I wouldn't know. I'm having trouble figuring out what it means to be a hero myself…I just know you shouldn't kill." Kokoro explained with some uncertainty, with Sukuna cracking a gentle grin and giggling.

"Heh, well…Thanks for being my conscience then. Uhhh, I didn't keep you away from anything, did I?" Sukuna swayed back and forth without making eye contact until Kokoro shook her head and replied "It's ok. I'm glad to have helped."

"Then can I help you out?!" Sukuna showed enthusiasm much bigger than her body could contain, making Kokoro stumble back slightly and wave her hands out with a stoic expression.

"O-Oh that's ok! This is something I have to do on my own, Sukuna."

"Well…" Sukuna leaped and put her needle behind her, saying with a smile "Good luck then! I'll try not to get in your way again!" And with that she was off. Kokoro didn't know what to make of the whole event, but it got her thinking as she then moved on to the Human Village once again…

 _Next Time: Concealed Phantasm_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: I Don't Want to Lose You…!**

On a staircase far off from the Human Village, the sneaky Mamizou slipped between some trees with the stealth of a snake, curling her tail behind herself as she leaned back and glanced around the ridged bark towards a lone shrine. This small and barely kept shrine currently had no inhabitants, and the smile the tanuki gave after noticing would make the Cheshire Cat blush.

Lingering behind at a slightly lower pace were the tiger and mouse Youkais Shou and Nazrin. The mouse leaned forward with dousing rods attached to her back, panting as her face looked a little pale.

"Y-You done running us around the perimeter, tanuki?" She asked with a degree of frustration, while her more relaxed partner held a finger up from her gently crossed arms and told her "I'm sure there is a reason for this. But Mamizou has not been known to fully reveal her motives…Case in point, you have still not told us why we're needed."

"Hmmm…" Mamizou looked to her comrades and with a relaxed lean against the tree she brushed her tail against it with two swift broad swipes, waving it out in front to reveal a spell tag of sorts suddenly attached to it. With a gasp Shou remarked with childish awe unbecoming her mature figure "I-Incredible…So the Hakurei shrine maiden does actually have defenses!" much to the irk chagrin of Nazrin.

"If you believe that I have a gold statue to sell you…This was someone else's doing. In fact I've seen this type of tag before on treasure sites. It's meant to ward off those whose hearts are filled with avarice." Mamizou peeled the tag off her tail without a fur out of place, then surprised her company by blowing on the tag and causing it to become dust.

"A ward is only as good as the magic that sustains it. Naturally, I would not expect THIS Hakurei to have even known this existed." The tanuki then whipped a scroll out from her sleeve in a blink of the eye, the force unfurling it enough as the other end was clamped in hand. As even a gentle breeze could wave the scroll, the tanuki carefully held it out and allowed her comrades to look at the secrets depicted on it.

"Took some effort to snag this from the Child of Miare, but if it's correct we'll find what we're looking for behind the Hakurei Shrine. As for the exact location, well…" She sealed the scroll swiftly enough to surprise the two, looking at them with a grin before explaining "That's where you two come in. Now, you ready for a treasure hunt?"

The two hadn't even gotten a chance to say yes before the tanuki spun around and slipped out from the forest cover, the confidence Mamizou had for their answer bordering on arrogance. Yet Shou and Nazrin were already entangled in the tanuki's plans by their accursed curiosity and followed along as she made her way to the back of the shrine. Looking to the empty porch, Shou tilted her head and remarked "The Hakurei maiden isn't here today. How odd…" yet Mamizou's quiet chuckle potentially held answers to her concerns.

"Did you have something to do with this, Mamizou?"

"That'd be too perfect of a setup even for me. Alas, it was just coincidence she chose to be elsewhere. Now then, I believe you should be sensing something right about…" When the three got behind the shrine, Shou's striped hair stood up while Nazrin's rods shifted 'til they pointed over her shoulders, pulling so hard that if the mouse hadn't grabbed them she wouldn't been thrown to the ground.

"Holy crap! I've never gotten a reading this strong before! The shrine maiden was sitting on a gold mine!" Nazrin's eyes glittered with the glimmer of greed, the only thing stopped her from salivating being the humored chuckle of the tanuki.

"Gold? Hmmm…treasure can come in many forms. A lost history, for example, is a treasure for historians to unearth and add to the annals of their library. Though in this case, I would say 'treasure' means 'a secret buried for the sake of Gensokyo'. Now…" Mamizou turns to check the direction the dowsing rods were pointing, but Shou beat her to the punch as she had already bent down at the exact spot and dug her sharp nails into a crevice hidden within the grass and dirt. She grunted and pulled, but nothing budged.

"Fufufu…Points for effort, tiger of Bishamonten. However, there is a simpler way to reveal this secret." The tanuki strode to the edge of the crevice and stepped forward, her body warping the ground as a panel of rainbow energy swirled and then disappeared, revealing a staircase with crusted steps that descended into a tunnel with mossy surroundings so thick their age had to be more than a century at the least.

Mamizou continued her trod down the stairs with only a hint of the age of this area leaving an impression on her smiling face. With Shou and Nazrin following after a few seconds of awe-filled staring the tanuki muttered "Well then, what treasure shall I find down here, first Hakurei shrine maiden?"

Meanwhile, Kokoro had finally made her way into the Human Village. Not as many people were moving around today, likely because of the children in school, but that would mean it might be easier to find Koishi around here. However, since the menreiki had little faith in the idea of finding Koishi here, she focused on more on trying to find Mamizou.

Even in her human guise, the tanuki was noticeable by her refined, dapper clothes. Compared to the rags and robes the villagers wore, Mamizou was a monarch of beauty. Perhaps even more so than Byakuren, but even Kokoro could not bring herself to make such a comparison lightly. With blushing cheeks the menreiki moved through the village, calling out the name of the tanuki every time she rounded a corner.

This goes on to no avail for a good few minutes, as there wasn't much ground to cover. Then with a tired breath the menreiki rested herself on a bench next to a mother and her pair of very young children. They were giggling and having a good time, and from a bout of jealousy bore a tired lean back from Kokoro. She didn't pay attention though and fell right off with a plume of dust kicking up from impact, the mother looking back as silence covered that part of the village and gazes lingered on Kokoro's awkward position.

" _Can't this day get any better…?"_ Her mind bemoaned as she tried to push herself off the ground, her frail arms not able to get the job done considering her bent back posture. Coming to her rescue with a swift tug of her arm was, to Kokoro's surprise, the mysterious and alluring Kuriya. Wearing the same dress and holding the same parasol over her shoulder, the girl stood before Kokoro with her docile and intention hiding smile, observing the thanks and bow from the menreiki without a word.

"What are you doing here? Isn't it school time?"

The girl brushed her hair aside as though a gentle breeze touched it, remarking with her usual subdued tone "This is just a day I chose not to go. Though now the inquiry should be returned to the inquirer." It took Kokoro a couple moments to tilt her head and interpret the meaning, and she responded with a stutter "O-Oh! I'm just…uhhh…"

"Y-You don't need to know…" She glanced aside and kicked up unsurely, and then Kuriya folded her parasol up and planted it on the ground beneath her palms.

"Something must be troubling you. Even with the way your face stays stiff like a stone idol cannot hide the feeling your aura portrays." The remark made Kokoro look forth and mutter "A-Are you willing to listen to me?" while drawn in by the girl's observation skills.

"My ears are always open, but your mouth must be willing to do the same. Spill the secrets of thy mind, Hata no Kokoro, and perhaps answers shall come your way." Docilely the girl stood and looked Kokoro in the eyes after another brush of her tender hair. The menreiki nodded her head and with arms folded back stated "Well…"

For a while after Kokoro explained her situation to Kuriya in as much detail her immature mind could muster. Every step of the way the girl paid attention and nodded gently to ensure her speaker she was watching. By the time the menreiki was done, Kuriya smiled and held a hand out to say with a dry sense of humor "It seems you've had an ill time recently. But…that satori sounds interesting."

"Interesting? Well, that's one way to describe her…" Kokoro rubbed the back of her head, then glanced at the girl and inquired "Oh! Maybe you've seen…" her tone quieted down quickly as Kuriya shook her head to an almost robotic degree.

"Still, to try and pull that girl from the abyss of her subconscious…That is quite heroic of you." That word, 'heroic', got the menreiki groaning in a puzzled manner as she leaned her head back and looked away. Kuriya grinned and tapped Kokoro's cheek to get her looking back.

"I do not mean to distress you with talks of heroism. I can tell you have enough on your mind…" She held the parasol over her shoulder and continued as her face was obscured by the shade "Still, isn't this ordeal something worth thinking about?"

"How so?"

"To forgive a person their trespasses and choosing to help them anyways in their time of need…That's selflessness in it's purest form, at least in my eyes. As I told you, that type of mindset would be quite refreshing in Gensokyo, should you choose to embrace heroism."

"…Kuriya." Kokoro replied after a few seconds of silent pondering. The girl held her head up high and awaited the words that would be conveyed, yet would find her eyes widened as she heard with certainty "Thank you for the faith in me but…I-I cannot be a hero."

"…Pardon me?" Kuriya murmured, holding her other thoughts in with a tight seal of her lips as Kokoro gestured and remarked "This is something I thought about a lot over the last couple days when I could." The girl sighed and braced herself to listen to whatever speech the menreiki had prepared.

"Being a hero means carrying the weight of everyone's lives on your shoulders. I-I do like helping people, I really do, but I'm scared of failure…Someone told me failures build a hero, but I don't think I could live with myself if I ever caused someone to lose their lives because I hesitated or wasn't strong enough. I'll stick to helping people out in little ways…I'm just not cut out for incident solving or anything like that."

"…Is that so? Hmmm, your decision is yours to make, certainly, but perhaps 'tis only I who sees the potential you hold to be a hero, Kokoro. If the time comes to show the world that power, then perhaps you'll have to reconsider." Kuriya spoke quite strangely, Kokoro unable to understand a single word that came from her mouth when combined with her nonchalant mannerisms and tone.

"Kuriya, maybe I don't understand your obsession with heroes, but…I-I think it's sweet that you consider me a good person. I don't do these nice things to get attention, but your appreciation is errr…appreciated. If it's fine with you, c-could we still be friends…?" The menreiki held her hand out, and Kuriya's mouth went agape as she peered beyond the shadows. Then, silence was broken by her hiding her face and starting to chuckle profusely.

"I-I don't understand…" Kokoro could not tell if she should be confused or insulted until Kuriya lifted her head up and said with a gentle smile "You know…You took me off guard. That's something I will always remember, Hata no Kokoro. The few friends I have are strange, but we can see eye-to-eye…Unfortunately, I do not believe we'd be able to do the same. It's for the best that you not concern yourself with being my friend."

"Oh…" The menreiki let out a dejected sigh and slowly slunk her hand back, putting it close to her hip while Kuriya continued to smile and brush a hand towards the side of Kokoro's body.

"But if you want a friend, perhaps look no further than the one you've sought out…" The gesture directed Kokoro's head around, her eyes focusing in on the presence of Koishi, who floated above a circle of children and did a few floaty spins until tapping her toes against the ground and joining in their giggling.

"So you would show up here after all…Koishi." Kokoro turned the rest of her body around and advanced towards the satori, Kuriya cracking a eerie grin as she kept her distance behind the ensuing meeting. After the children were gone, Koishi spun with her head held back, her mind in a state of bliss even as she looked at Kokoro standing before her.

"Ah! Kokoro! I'm so glad you're alright!" She said with the nonchalance expected of her state of mind while she positioned herself in a more normal upright stance, stroking her arms as though she was in a lake. Kokoro took in a deep breath, braced her mind, and even then didn't have certainty she'd say the right things.

"Koishi, do you remember yesterday?"

"Huh? You fell down sick, then I took you back home, of course I remember that you silly goose!" Koishi spoke in an absolutely chipper tone, followed by her spinning back in the air aloofly. Kokoro could only wonder how the satori could not remember anything beyond that, but figured that could only make things easier. With a village full of humans possibly ending up in the crossfire should things go wrong, the menreiki had to be delicate.

"You told me something yesterday." Koishi's interest was caught and he body hovered above the ground as Kokoro laid a hand against her chest and cracked a slight smile "Even if you don't remember it, I do. It got me thinking Koishi, and I can finally give you a better answer."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, but go on!" The satori's face curled up in confusion until Kokoro looked straight at her and said "No one deserves to disappear forever. Not you, not I, not anyone…There's going to come a point where I'll grow up, that's not something you can stop Koishi, but…"

Even as the satori widened her eyes in a fevered manner the menreiki stood her ground and stated "If I can promise you that I'll keep my innocence…To remember you throughout our entire lives, would you believe me?"

"Hehehe…!" Koishi's face lit up with a close-eyed smile, her aura radiating with happiness as she continued "Well you do look like someone who could keep a promise! So I guess I could believe you maybe…!"

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, much to Kokoro's surprise, but there was still one important and final step to take. Slowly, with some hesitation, the girl held her right arm out with Koishi looking a bit puzzled as Kokoro was giving her a smile.

"K-Koishi…We've had our troubles, but-" Then a sound that had never been heard in the Human Village began to ring out. It was some sort of bell, and it was rung rather frantically. All commotion in the village stopped, and Kokoro looked around in confusion as some humans suddenly began to make a break for their houses. One human with a black cloak ran across the paths and spoke in desperation.

"HIDE IN YOUR HOUSES, FIND SAFETY IF YOU CAN! THE TENGUS AND THE UNDERGROUND YOUKAI ARE GOING TO WAR! PRAY TO YOUR GODS FOR SAFETY!" He ran through the village until he was a speck in Kokoro and Koishi's eyes. Kokoro was flabbergasted, Koishi was just taking the situation lightly as she could.

"Uh OH! Sis must be in tr-ou-ble!"

"W-What? A-A war…? Why? What's going on?" Kokoro's heart beat with a tension she couldn't explain, her hands clenched up against her chest. All the while, she could not turn around to notice the deep, mischievous smile Kuriya currently had.

" _And now it all comes together…The final phase of my plan. You should've chosen a wiser path, Hata no Kokoro…Now your fate is mine to control."_

 _Next Time: Perspective of the Third Eye_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: A Satori's Tale**

 _Twenty-four hours ago…_

Kept away from all other denizens of Gensokyo lies an underground faction of Youkai. Those type of Youkai are considered some of the most dangerous, ranging from dismembered goblins to the brutish onis. Thankfully, an agreement was put in place long ago to keep these Youkai in the underground, so long as Youkai from above don't come down. Both parties have benefited from this pretty well, as the underground Youkai can hold festivities without constraint, leading to weeks upon WEEKS of drunken bliss and pyre torches lit.

Luckily, it never tends to escalate beyond that, and even if it did the person who rules over this underground cavern would not step in. Amongst even the most vicious of Youkai, there are disdained whispers towards a particular species known as the satori, who are said to be able to read any mind with their "Third Eye". No one wishes to test this for themselves, and thus the ruler of the underground's Palace of the Earth Spirits remains quite the enigma.

Of course, to the narrative eye, even the deepest of secrets become exposed to the world at large…

The Palace of the Earth Spirits is a building of incomprehensible size, yet despite dug deep into the underground it's ivory stone walls are as pristine as diamonds, it's windows made of stained glass windows that projected light inside it's long, spanning hallways. While there were many rooms to note, the ruler of this palace currently sat inside her bedroom, which was dimly lit by a crackling fireplace.

Contrary to what the rumors and hollow whispers would lead you to believe, the ruler was not ugly. No, they weren't grotesque, monstrous, or anything of the sort. They were a young adolescent looking girl with short purple hair that was always ruffled as if she just got out of bed. Her choice of clothes was a blue shirt with ruffled cuffs with yellow heart buttons and a pink collar, a pink skirt with faint flowery patterns, pink slippers that fit loosely on her feet, and a black hair band that kept her hair from getting too out of control.

Today in particular though, as she sat in a vinyl red chair with a book and pencil in hand, she chose to wear a pair of small yellow rimmed glasses before her purple eyes. And her "Third Eye", which was positioned before her heart and had veins flowing to her wrists and head, had a monocle fitted onto it. As she wrote in her book, she was only disturbed by a couple of her pets, a perky parakeet on her shoulder and a comfy cheetah off to the left of her.

These pets flocked to her with contention on their face, and she responded in kind with a gentle pat of their heads. Her smile was small but full of warmth, and she could hear the content thoughts of her pets cleanly in her mind. For Satori Komeiji, this was a blissful existence. Just her, a book she has written, and the kindness of her pets. Unfortunately, troubling news would soon come to her doorstep, whether she wanted it or not.

"Miss Satori! Miss Satori!" A tiny voice chipper and full of respect echoed into the solitude of Satori's abode, and her hand glided off the head of her cheetah as she glanced back curiously at a surprising sight.

A small black cat with two tails, each tip having a bright red flame, scurried into the room with a newspaper bit in her tiny fangs. With an energetic leap the cat sat upon the arm of the chair and held the newspaper up proudly, Satori responding with a docile expression as she freed her hands to take the paper.

"Thank you, Orin." She spoke softly and then nestled her fingers under the cat's chin, causing them to stretch it out and waggle her burning tails with a vibrating purr. When Satori went to open the paper, Orin sat there looking at it as her master commented "It's nice to see what's going on above ground every now and then. Orin, may you bring me my tea?"

The cat flipped back gracefully, her body consumed by a spiral of flames as magic changed her into a human-like girl. She landed on her black thick heeled shoes and pulled the sides of her black, green frilled dress skirt, perking the black cat ears atop her fiery red twin braided hair as she took a respectful bow. Once she looked up with her dark red eyes, Orin cracked a smile and dutifully rushed out of the room with a meow.

Satori then looked at the paper, her other pets parting at her gesture, and began to catch up on Gensokyo's current events. Every word was ingrained into her brain as though a stamp was taken to it, but while she glided through stuff like the weather predictions and reports on the Human Village she stopped upon a particular article planted on the second page. Her docile demeanor became puzzled, and she spent a moment or two cleaning her glasses to ensure there was no deception.

But the headline to the article was clear as day _"Strange green-haired girl invades Tengu territory! Stranger taking into custody for questioning!"_ as was the picture that came with it. Depicted flying in a mountainous range was a girl with unkempt green hair, a yellow dress, a black hat, and a purple closed "Third Eye" hovering beside her body.

"Koishi…" Her voice turned from gentle to concerned as she touched the picture with her open palm. She then rested the paper atop her lap and leaned back, letting out a sigh. With eyes open partway she diverted her glance to the right, finding atop a dresser a sketched picture with herself and Koishi. Both were smiling, but Koishi had her arms around Satori's neck in a hug. Before she stood up, Orin's voice ringed out from behind.

"Miss Satori, your tea is ready! Nyah!" Her tone was filled with good cheer until she walked up beside the chair and upon placing the silver tray and heated pot on the arm looked down at the paper. Then, she swiftly plucked it up and nuzzled it close to her face. Satori made little effort to stop her abundant energy, instead laying her hands atop her lap with a melancholy expression until the paper was dropped and Orin looked at her befuddled.

"W-Why is there another satori in this picture?" Orin's mouth was wide and partially agape, and Satori could only answer with a lie "I don't know Orin. Any others should, in theory, be underground. Yet the tengus have happened to come across one."

Ignoring her tea as she stood up, Satori placed her book on the chair and brought a hand to her chin, her Third Eye moving to avoid being pressed against her chest. She wandered the sanctity of her room, Orin lingering close behind, her thoughts presented as confused as a cat possibly could have them.

" _Miss Satori looks really concerned…has she seen this other satori before?"_

Satori had to avert her eyes from her closest pet, her expression perturbed as her mind wandered into melancholy _"Oh Orin…Even you cannot remember my sister. And she loved you very much…"_ and then she's left laying a hand on top of her drawer while looking at the picture. A memory of Koishi nestling Orin's cat form against her dress while spinning around filled her thoughts, complete with echoes of her merry laughter.

"M-Miss Satori…are you crying?" Orin's call snapped her out of it along with a liquid trickling down the left side of her face. The cat offered her sleeve to her master, but the Satori smiled and wiped it dry with her own before muttering "I-It's fine Orin. I suppose I'm shocked to not be alone anymore." Calming her mind by looking away from the picture, Satori aloofly held her arms before her chest and turned to Orin.

"I'm leaving you in charge of the palace. I will make the trip to the Tengu village on my own."

"Huh? W-What about the agreements?" Orin stuttered, and Satori closed her eyes while peeling the glasses away from her face "If I recall, you were called up to the surface once to help with a jiangshi." Satori gave a tiny smile as Orin chuckled with some nervousness.

"S-Sorry, I forgot that Miss Satori. But the tengus are territorial. They won't take kindly to us underground folk showing up."

"Only if I bring risk to them. I thank you for the concern nevertheless, Orin." Satori, having kindly said her final word, left the room and approached the sprawling foyer after grabbing a black laced hooded cloak from her closest. She then left her palace and strolled through the vast underground city, her small body weaving past the hustle and bustle of giants until she ended up at the winding tunnel that would take her aboveground, at which point she flew the rest of the way.

"How long has it been since I've been at the surface? Everything is certainly brighter than I remember…" She said as the sun beamed down upon her figure emerging from the tunnel embedded into the mountainside. The forest glistening with morning dew, the breeze gentler than a mother's hug, and the welcoming vibe of the chirping birds all provided her an unforgettable experience.

Yet even so, her sister was at the forefront of her mind, and she pushed aside her joy to take flight towards the Tengu village. Even though she could not place a number to the amount of years it had been since she was last on the surface, logic dictated to Satori that she'd find the tengus in the same place as before, nestled between the largest mountains in a small village filled with wooden bridges and humble pagodas that lied next to some luscious waterfalls.

Her judgment was made true when she approached the mountains, overseeing the bountiful village and the black bird winged humanoids that lived around there. Satori did not go for subtlety and moved for the largest building in the village, which sat above the rest and appeared to be built like a palace with each floor having rickets as their rims. Guarding the entrance were two humanoid Youkai with canine features like fluffy white dog ears and proud bushy tails. Each held a sword half as tall as them, and a shield with a maple leaf painted onto it.

Though their eyes were closed, the very second a toe tapped the wooden patio of the palace, Satori's presence caused their eyes to widen awaken and for their blades to be at her throat.

"State your business, intruder!" The left one said with fangs grit ferociously. Satori stood her ground without fear, parting her cloak to reveal her Third Eye, which instantly forced the blades back an inch and got the canines trembling.

"A-A satori? HERE?" The right one stuttered while looking to her partner, but then Satori closed her eyes to comment "I am not here to cause trouble. I wish to speak with your leader of a matter of grave importance."

"Y-You won't threaten us with your mind games!" The canines said while barely keeping their swords held up, yet Satori's response was swift "We cannot help but feel your fear. Yet I would not take advantage of it. Now, I understand how territorial you can be, but if you see qualms with my presence I will offer no resistance. My affairs are simple."

The canines continued to shake until the oriental doors behind them parted, through the shadows emerging a tall and regal figure garbed in white robes similar to that a maiden would have. The undersides of their arms were lined with three rows of black feathers. Their red skirt was split in the center and extended down to her toes, and there was a orange leafy pattern spread across it. They wore a red mask with wide eyes and tribal markings on them, and it had a rounded nose that was at least six inches long. Their hair was black and long, ruffled like a unkempt nest, and their nails were as long as their fingers with a red polish.

"Momiji…Kurasaki, stand aside." The tengu swung their arm in one fell motion, carrying in their presence and voice such authority that Satori could feel it. The canines sheathed their blades after a whimper and stepped back, allowing the mighty tengu to step in front of Satori. They towered over her thanks in part to their high-heeled shoes, yet with feet firmed to the ground Satori met their powerful gaze and smiled.

"Ah, the Tenma has come to greet me personally. You've grown since the last time I was above ground." Satori dryly held respect for her peer, who in turn responded with a glare.

"…I needed no seers or tarot cards to predict your arrival. This matter troubles me as much as it does you. For today, I will accommodate your presence, but when this mystery is resolved…"

"I shall return without question. Let us work together then, Tenma." With a suspecting glance, the Tenma turned and guided Satori into her palace. Shortly after, the two ended up in a docile room with oriental wall patterns and a stone fountain in the corner filled with tiny golden fishes. The two sat on cushions in front of a glass table resting on the ground, and from this perspective their eyes were even with one another.

Once tea had been brought all piping hot in porcelain cups, the two began to speak, Satori starting out with "I must admit, your tea is richer than anything we produce in the underground. You have my compliments." The Tenma was staring at her the whole time she was sipping, leading Satori to ask "If you are concerned about me reading your mind, I assure you my intention is to not ruin my already shaky presence here."

"Did you find THAT out by reading my mind?" The Tenma said in a deep gender neutral voice, yet the Satori chuckled and said "I only needed to look at your body movements. Your arms are tense, your stare is focused and cold…"

"Hmph, I see your point. Still, for you to take the reputation of your species into consideration…You have surprised me, satori. How does this newspaper situation relate to you, then?"

"Ah, you've already familiarized yourself with the situation. That saves me some trouble, and yet…Brings up more troubling issues. I would assume the person running the paper is still that miscreant, yes?"

"Shameimaru? Yes, and I questioned her thoroughly when this paper was produced. No matter what, she insisted she had just received that picture from someone who told her it'd make for an interesting story. I can assure you though that we have not recently captured any satoris." The Tenma's expression looked a bit perturbed even behind that mask, and with perplexing murmurs Satori laid her cup to rest and offered her own view.

"A mysterious photo you say? I do not wish to make you question a member of your own species, but…"

"Shameimaru has had some…questionable articles. However, I believe that she would never slander the name of her people." The Tenma let out a sigh and slanted to the left a bit, resting a hand for balance while Satori told you "I suppose the possibility of sabotage towards the Tengu is not out of the question."

"A planting of false evidence by another faction? The only one I could think of that would try that might be the tanuki Mamizou, since we'd come into conflict with her recently, but…"

"Tanukis are pranksters, I'd think they wouldn't try something on this level. But, just for the sake of putting this matter to rest…Could I see your prison?" Satori stepped on glass with that inquiry, yet the Tenma lifted their head up and responded "I suppose it'd be the quickest way to clear up this mess. We both want to get this over with…"

Despite the seeming willingness in their voice, the Tenma had an air of paranoia around their body as they stood up and their arms quivered. Satori stayed cautious as she followed the Tenma through the halls of her palace, their journey taking them down a couple flights of stairs until eventually they find themselves in a place the sun barely touched. A couple more canine Youkai were guarding the rusted jail cells, but these two were wearing thick steel armor.

A gesture made them step aside so the Tenma could show Satori the jail cells, all of which were desolate and grim in their atmosphere. There was no hope to be found in here, but from a simple glance they thankfully appeared to be empty. Satori walked up to one of them as the Tenma explained "We tend to not use these often anymore. The Spell Card Rules have mitigated the need for prisoners."

Slowly, Satori walked in front of every cell and peered deep into them, but froze up at the middle one. In the corner of the cell lied a battered body chained unconscious to the walls. The person's identity could not be mistaken from the satori's perspective.

"Koishi…" The mutter of that name got the Tenma looking towards the cell, their eyes widening as they held their arms out and stuttered in a frightened manner "I-Impossible…What's going on here?!" She looked back to her guards for answers.

"L-Lord Tenma…You told us to put the prisoner in here." The guard spoke hesitantly for fear of sounding defiant, yet the Tenma was more concerned with the choice of words than the tone. Looking back at Satori, the Tenma was met with her clasping her Third Eye out towards the cell before looking back at the Tenma with a glare of antagonism.

"Did we not just go over the possibility of someone framing this situation?" The Tenma stood firm and disciplined, but Satori let her Third Eye hover before her heart as she mentioned "The body in there has no thoughts. My sister Koishi cut off her Third Eye and thus no longer has even a subconscious to her name. Had I detected even a single thought, I would believe this was a setup."

"Is that all it takes to make you believe that I am lying? Have I not been honest with you thus far?" Tenma's tone was insulted, that much was clear even with the mask. Satori clasped her Third Eye and glanced into the cell, commenting "My sister cannot control herself…I get that you Tengu have your territorial problems, but could you not tell that someone like her would have no idea of what she was doing?"

"Enough with your presumptions, satori! The Tengu have done nothing to your kind to deserve this mistreatment!" The Tenma swung their hand out with authority, yet their echoing voice only made Satori's eyebrows furrow into a bitter state.

"…The mind is like a book. Information is stored on 'pages' that we flip through whenever we need to remember something. Whenever we choose to add to this book of ours, the covers flip open and lay bare the 'current' thoughts on our mind. That is what the Third Eye perceives. You can claim the tongue is the bearer of the truth, but it shall always be your mind that'll uncover your perverse thoughts."

"T-Tsk…So you ended up invading my thoughts after all. I should've known better than to let my guard down around a satori for even a second. But I will demand you listen to me one more time. I am NOT the one responsible for this. Whatever is going on here is not of my doing." The Tenma insisted the truth, defying the information Satori brought forth as though they were an iron wall repelling intruders to a castle.

"And yet…your thoughts continue to say otherwise. No one can hide their thoughts from me. In the end, the simplest solution to your problem is to free my sister. I have no cares towards anything you Tengu might possess, so there does not even have to be a bargain in place. So if-"

"ENOUGH!" The Tenma's voice kicked up a gale so strong it was like a hurricane, and the guards scurried off in fright as the sealed up windows blew open and bathed a light upon the Tenma that made them look as though they were basking in a holy radiance. Standing her ground yet again, Satori murmured "So your pride has been wounded by that remark, has it? Do you require something more out of this than what I have offered?"

"It was a mistake to allow your presence here this long, underground Youkai! There was a reason your kind was banished from the surface, you disgusting primitives!" The Tenma threw away all pretenses of rationale, Satori responding in kind with a sigh and a murmur "I suppose there's no way this can just be resolved with a Spell Card Duel, is there?"

The Tenma snapped her fingers loudly, and the guards came back in ready to attack Satori. Quickly lifting off the ground and flying towards the window, she looked back at the cell for just a moment, yet was then consumed by the rage of the Tenma as they proclaimed "This shall be war, satori! You have just declared war upon the Tengu!"

The Tenma had to be restrained of her fury by the guards, and Satori looked back with only a single thought on her mind as she fled the Tengu village _"Koishi…I'll rescue you from this nightmare, I promise."_

 _Back in the present…_

Around the time the bells had been rung at the Human Village, Satori had emerged from the underground with a small army of onis, gnomes, and other mighty monsters. Having managed to unite under a common ground of their pride, the monsters were even willing to listen to Satori for just this one occasion. Flying in from the east of the tunnel they marched out from were a swarm of hundreds of Tengu, all of them having donned their masks and weapons for battle. From this distance, Satori met the eyes of the Tenma, a fierce battle about ready to unfold…

 _Next Time: Just as Planned_


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: The Phantasm of Gensokyo**

The warning bells from the Human Village rang all the way up to the Hakurei Shrine. At the entrance of the staircase to that underground chamber, Shou was keeping guard for the shrine maiden's presence until those bells grabbed her attention away. The tiger looked into the stairs and exclaimed "Hey! Something's going on in the village!" It took a few minutes for Nazrin and Mamizou to pop out from the darkness, a perplexed scowl on the tanuki's face.

"I read about these bells. They signal an approaching catastrophe to the village. With Spell Card Rules in effect though…" Mamizou grit her teeth and ran to the top of the stairs, glancing back with a swing of her arm to state "Nazrin, keep searching down there, I'll be right back!" Her voice was, for her, very forceful and swift. The mouse made no rebuttal and the tanuki was allowed to rush to the front of the Hakurei Shrine.

There was a newspaper there now that she scurried to sweep into her hands. The front page displayed not an article of gossip as usually expected, but a warning to all Youkai about the war that would ensue soon enough. From the words chosen Mamizou suspected that the Tengu were looking to recruit people to their side. Though thoughts ran around like a whirlpool in her mind, there was something that the tanuki was able to focus on.

"The Tengu wouldn't be able to survive a war against the Underground after their numbers dwindled during that one incident. What even incited this…" Mamizou read over the article until the cause was found in the form of the captured satori. Her thoughts lingered on that for just a little bit until she murmured "The satori that took the Mask of Hope from our young menreiki, eh?"

By that point, her mind wandered to what she figured the night before, that that very same satori had brought the ill menreiki back to her home. Her presence couldn't be detected, but the scent was quite clear at the time. When that fact clicked in her head, the article couldn't possibly make sense.

" _If that satori was with Kokoro, then she couldn't have been in jail. Then that would mean the Tengus were setup to go to war by someone. Who though…? Who could possibly benefit from a war of this scale?"_

Mamizou's hands tense and crumpled the paper, her eyes widening as it dropped onto the porch. Her mind went back to a couple days ago, when she suddenly caught wind of Kokoro's scent in the Human Village. It wasn't something that built up, so how was it possible for that to happen? There had always been a question of what the menreiki had been up to, but now all facts were starting to blend together into a single truth that made the tanuki's fur crawl.

"Yakumo…Yukari…!" Her anger built up and erupted all at once, even as she tried to restrain it with her gritted teeth. Looking back and seeing two specks suddenly flying out of the Human Village, one that had long pink hair and another that was carrying a parasol. Perhaps it was paranoia biting at her, but the tanuki could've sworn the second figure was looking this way. It would be far too easy to imagine a docile smirk on that person's face too.

Mamizou's fists clenched up before she turned and made a beeline back for the staircase. She ignored Shou and Nazrin as she reached into her sleeve and pulled out her smoke pipe. "We don't have time to deal with these obstacles!" She proclaimed furiously as she ended up in front of a wall of darkness, Nazrin shrugging her shoulders and saying in her smart-aleck tone "Then why are you wasting time on a smoke, gran-"

In a second Mamizou turned her pipe into a metallic leaf-shaped sword and slashed through the wall with enough force to send the crumbling bricks flying back into the room. Nazrin and Shou stood with mouth agape, the only thing the mouse could muster being a meek "Holy shit…!" With the sword turned back and put into her sleeve, the straight-faced tanuki advanced into the holy confines of this chamber while muttering "We're going to find the treasure and get to Kokoro, before SHE has her way with her powers!"

"Huh…? Who?" Nazrin and Shou said as their minds snapped away from the sudden awe-filled display of Mamizou's strength.

Meanwhile, at the Myouren Temple, Byakuren had returned in a blink of an eye to find Miko and her two subordinates Futo and Tojiko with her. The rest of the temple goers had gathered outside, their faces filled with fraught.

"Kokoro's gone missing. Hijiri, what's the meaning with this?" Miko spoke in frustration fueled by what she had been forewarned before. She walked up and placed her hands on Byakuren's shoulders, staring deep into her concerned eyes as the priest could only offer a brief shake of the head.

"I-I don't know. I went to deal with her problem…Was she not here when you arrived?"

Miko pulled back and while trying to relax she commented "No, which means she disappeared in the interim. This is bad, we can't have her out during a war. Not to mention what the tanuki warned us about, as much as I hate to heed her advice now…"

"We should split up and try to find her like last time!" Kyouko shouted out with her usual enthusiasm even in these dire times. Yet Miko's rebuttal was understandably blunt "You mean like how we failed to track her down? We're without either the tanuki or the tiger's perceptive noses, and…" Upon mentioning that the Crown Prince froze up and clenched tightly her shaku.

"N-No way…Did we really underestimate that witch this much?" All eyes were on Miko as she muttered those words strangely, only Byakuren being able to respond with a curt yet concerned "We let our guard down for just a second…and that's all she needed to get Kokoro away from us."

"W-Well a-actually…" A meek and quiet voice spoke up, the figure of Kogasa slipping out from between the rest of the temple goers. She approached the authority figures with a thick gulp down her esophagus then peeked out from the shade of her umbrella to state "I-I might have been the last person to speak with Kokoro…"

Byakuren's hands were immediately clenching the girl's frail shoulders, and she understandably let out a shrill and panicked cry as the priest glared her in the eyes and demanded to know "Where. Did she. GO?" In the face of her overwhelming pressure, the truth shot out of Kogasa's mouth like a danmaku bullet "S-She went to find that one satori! I don't know where she'd be otherwise!"

A mother's fright and concern all culminated at once in Byakuren's mind, making her grip loosen as she stood up and her head along with body began to feel a dizzying pressure. Miko was right behind her placing weight on her shoulders, which helped to stabilize the body, and it was her words of wisdom "If we hurry and work together, we can find Kokoro before the witch" that alleviated some of the pain in her head.

"R-Right…" Byakuren gave a nod and smiled, showing appreciation as much as her expression could allow as she rubbed her temples and looked to the others, swinging her hand out to proclaim "Kokoro is one of us, regardless of whether you're Taoist or Buddhist, so lets bring her back to where she belongs! I assume there's no disagreements?"

Everyone let out a resounding "NO!", only a couple being louder than the rest. The message was made clear, and Byakuren firmed a serious expression and turned to look at Miko as she smiled. "I didn't think it'd come down to another grand battle occurring in Gensokyo, that witch has some gall to make something like this happen again, but that's why we can't let her succeed. It's time to send her a message that we won't be dealing with her machinations any longer!"

The group was about ready to march out to find Kokoro when all of a suddenly something crashed down directly outside the gates and erupted a plume of dust into the air, masking their presence until a cheery if not slurred voice called out "Message received! Sorry, but you party guests are going to have to sit here for the time being!" A punch was thrust that shook the air and removed the dust via sonic boom, revealing a small girl with bent horns as big as her head, long orange hair that went to her knees, a sleeveless tattered blouse complimented by a purple-pink shirt, and chains attached to her wrists.

As the display of strength left the group cautiously in place, Miko going for her sword while Byakuren clenched her fists, the little oni known as Suika Ibuki grinned her fangs together and planted her fist into her palm hard enough to shake the temple, saying almost excitedly "You're welcome to fight back, I welcome the challenge! But maybe you should take a second to evaluate the situation before jumping in, eh?" Left in this confusing and sudden stalemate, both sides would have to tolerate each other into someone decided to make a move…

During this moment though, Kokoro would be seen flying towards the scene of the battleground, Kuriya floating precariously behind her. The menreiki looked back to her, thinking of the conversation they had before their departure.

" _Kokoro, am I hearing that right? The bell ringing means catastrophe is approaching?" Kuriya spoke as she walked up to the menreiki and the satori, who was currently floating upside-down without a care as the village became scarce with humans._

" _I-I don't know! M-Maybe…?" She could only respond uncertainly as she shook her head back and forth, unable to explain the feeling of pain in her heart that the word 'war' brought on. Kuriya stepped up to her and commented with her secretive smirk "It seems that, perhaps, fate is giving you a chance to be a hero after all."_

 _The girl's approach got Kokoro leaning and stepping back slowly, and suddenly Koishi got in the way to spin herself upright and say "Hey hey! Who do you think you are partner?" Kuriya brushed the back of her hand against the satori's face to move her as though she was a branch in the way, casually moving ahead to state "Kokoro, do you understand the implications of the word 'war'?"_

" _N-No…?" She was hesitant to admit and slowly she shook her head until the girl twirled her parasol and explained "It's a dreadful word describing the foolish behavior of two or more sides going into conflict over differing beliefs. Earth history speaks of many wars occurring both big and small, and I suppose for Gensokyo that's no different either…Yet there's always one guarantee."_

 _Her smile slowly creaked wide and her vibe became overall eerie as she said with an overall childish expression "People will die, whether soldier or innocents…"_

" _NO!" Kokoro suddenly spoke out, her tone coming across as offended to the highest degree while containing a little fear. Kuriya lingered on the expression the menreiki had as she began to pant and shake her head "No one should have to die! I-I thought Gensokyo used Spell Card Duels to solve problems!" Her tone was more mature than before, yet her empathetic nature was ripe for exploiting._

" _No one should have to die…? Then lets make that proposition a reality, Hata no Kokoro. Let us go to the battlefield at the Youkai Mountains and resolve this matter. I believe with all my heart your powers will be useful."_

When she was done remembering everything, there was an unease in Kokoro's heart. Kuriya looked innocent, yet that almost seemed like a guise from the way she had been behaving today. There was a matter of trust that Kokoro could not shake off her mind, but she would not get the chance to say anything as the scene of battle came into view up ahead. The Tengu and Underground Youkai were at a standstill, their leaders taking the forefront of their armies as they appeared to be conversing.

Kuriya got ahead and used her umbrella to keep Kokoro from advancing, pointing out "The last thing we'd want to do is attract their attention. From here should be fine…" She then waited for the menreiki to turn around to fold her parasol and grasp it in one hand, using the other to reach into her dress and delicately tug at something.

"Your power of manipulating emotions, if used it in combination with this…" Kuriya pulls out a small blue magical crystal and smiles as Kokoro's eyes light up and she mutters "A-A Philosopher's Stone? …Why do you-" Kuriya cupped the stone and raised a finger to the menreiki's lips, making her heart beat faster.

"Shhh…It's alright Kokoro, it doesn't matter why I have this. You need it to stop this war from escalating." When Kokoro's body looked to be easing up, Kuriya pulled back and gave an uneasy grin before continuing "Now, this stone can amplify magical energies. Your emotional manipulation, when combined with this, can remove all feelings of hostilities from the Tengu and Underground Youkai. However, you have to concentrate in order for this to work. I'll funnel the Philosopher Stone's energy into your body so you can get the job done."

"A-Ahh…" Kokoro murmured, but with the stoicism of a puppet Kuriya lifted her head up and basked in the glow of the stone as she coldly said "Or perhaps…you'd like for Gensokyo to be bathed in a sea of blood?"

A palpitation of the mind causes Kokoro to see Byakuren, Miko and Tenshi's corpses floating behind Kuriya, dragged away by a river of blood. The world just felt so hollow at that point. Kokoro's mouth felt dry, her body quivering as her arm moved all on it's own towards the Philosopher's Stone. Kuriya raised a finger to her lips and went "Shhh…" as she floated behind the menreiki like a phantasm on the ethereal plain.

Time slowed for Kokoro as she turned to face the two armies, who appeared ready to charge into battle, their emotions inflamed. One budge is all it would take for blood to be shed, for carnage to consume the once peaceful Gensokyo.

" _It's not right…It's just not right…"_ Kokoro raised her hands up and unwittingly summoned her calming mask beside her face as blue flames radiated around her small frame. Kuriya's dress spread out and ruffled in the breeze as she held her arms front and center to balance the Philosopher's Stone between the palms. The stone glowed and poured it's energies through Kokoro's being like strands of webbing, and Kokoro grit her teeth and let out a gasp as she felt her body's energies being carried out towards the two armies.

They were not made aware of what was approaching and thus could do nothing as they were swallowed up by waves of gentle, relaxing emotion. Kokoro looked down upon the armies and saw traces of resistance amongst the stronger Youkai. Tears were forced from Kokoro's eyes as she proclaimed "STOOOOOOOOP!" shrilly out, and her voice echoed throughout Gensokyo in a reverberating shockwave of emotional energy.

The first yet most important person the wave reached was Tenshi, who happened to be descending from Bhava-agra on her keystone. The wave nearly threw her right off, and as she kept her hat from flying off she widened her eyes and stated "K-Kokoro? The hell is going on here?" As the Celestial went to investigate the sound the clouds in the sky grew darker.

From the two armies' perspective, they were slowly dropping to the ground, their will to fight drained slowly but surely. Not even the onis could fight against this feeling. Satori, the last to fall unconscious, looked up into the sky and finally saw the figures responsible for this act. When she focused on Kuriya in particular, she saw her for who she truly was, and the figure of her true form gave an acknowledging smirk. Teeth grit as she dug her nails into the ground, Satori muttered calmly "Y-You tricked us all…Yakumo…Yukari…!" and then her mind went to sleep against it's will.

With the last person down, "Kuriya" gripped the Philosopher's Stone tightly to turn it to dust, sending a surge of magical energy through Kokoro's body that shocked her mind so suddenly that her eyes widened and nothing else as her body went limp and began to fall forward. "Kuriya", surrounded by a grey fog, moved forward as she returned to her true identity of Yukari Yakumo and caught Kokoro's body in her arms.

By the menreiki's eyes were blank and motionless, making her a doll in the gap witch's grasp. Yukari looked at her with a small smirk as a gap opened up beside her, the loyal Ran emerging from it with claws folded into her sleeves and traces of blood on her lips.

"Lady Yukari, everything went according to plan. I have disposed of all traces of the disguised corpse in the Tengu palace. Shall I move on to the next step?" Yukari nodded her head and with eyes shut said "You may. Make sure to keep a faint trace of my presence in the satori's memories for later."

Ran nodded her head, and both of them looked ahead and saw Tenshi floating a fair distance away with her mouth agape and her arms held stiff beside her hips. With a piercing glare her way, Yukari muttered "I will see you back at the Mayohiga for the final steps, Ran." As the kitsune retreated into a gap after a nod, Yukari turned around and began to step into a gap of her own.

Tenshi's emotions flared up as she summoned her Hisou no Tsurugi in her right hand and flung herself at Yukari, blurting out with the utmost fury "LET GO OF HER YOU WITCH!" But just inches away from being able to connect with her blade, Tenshi suddenly was met with the impact of four knuckles to her face, and were just a little more strength used her face would've likely ended up as paste. Instead, a shockwave shattered the keystone and sent the Celstial rocketing to the ground.

After crashing Tenshi bounced and was sent flying through two trees, then was sent tumbling through the forest until being launched into one more. Going through those trees killed her momentum enough that when she finally slammed back first against the wall beside the Myouren Temple's gate her body stuck to it instead of breaking through. Cracks spread out until the wall broke down all the way around the temple, Tenshi buried in the rubble as the Taoists and Buddhists noticed her sudden appearance.

Suika, however, was joined by a copy of herself that shook some blood off her knuckles before giving the original a high-five. The clone dissolves into a thin white mist and is sucked into the oni's skin pores. She then turned to the groups and flexed her right fingers so tightly the bones looked ready to pop out, saying with the fierce grin of a demon on the battlefield "So now that I've made my first point, who wants to go next?!"

 _Next Time: A Mother's Fury_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: A Mother's Strength, a Father's Will**

"What's the meaning of this? What's the Celestial doing here?!" Miko inquired bluntly to the oni as Tenshi is seen slowly trying to push her body out of the rubble, blood trickling from her forehead down her face. Suika raised her brows and said "If you want to know you'd better patch her up. Might've gone a lot too rough on her, might've not…Depends on your point of view."

Byakuren swiped an arm out towards the Celestial and said "Ichirin, hurry!" while staying focused on the oni. Ichirin heeded the urgent tone and rushed over to Tenshi, using Buddhist magic infused into her rings to begin the healing process. Suika nodded her head approvingly and said "Good, good, you got right on that!" and then looked to the group with a shrug and tilt of her head.

"I mean, the Celestial's a brat, but I wouldn't have punched her over here if I could've just asked her to come. Look, it's unfortunate but-"

"D-Damn…oni…!" Suika stopped when Tenshi had gotten enough strength back to prop her body up, the first thing she did being to burst out in anger "Y-You helped that witch…Y-You let her take Kokoro!" Those words brought the worst possible feelings down upon the Taoists and Buddhists, with Miko's face slowly paling while Byakuren left her mouth agape and her arms quivered as she slowly clenched her fists.

The most dreadful scenario had come to pass, and out of the group only Tenshi had bore witness to the events to relay the information. Suika held a hand beside her face and commented "Hey if it makes you feel any better Celestial, at least Kokoro's powers helped quell the Tengu-Underground War before it went anywhere."

"Don't you dare try to pass this off lightly…! You probably set up the war in the first place, all to deliver Kokoro to that witch!" Tenshi's attitude got Suika to stomp the ground with her right foot. The ground cracked around the base of her body, and the display of strength quieted Tenshi for a moment. The oni then looked up with eyes looking coy.

"Now seriously, lets not make assumptions. I was just asked to hold you guys off for a bit. Well…and one other thing, but that all depends on what your next move is." Suika gripped a hand around a fist and cracked the knuckles with an echo.

Miko stepped out from beside Suika with furious eyes that could pierce any soul. With hand gripped tight on her sword Miko slowly pulled it forth and sunlight lashed out wildly. As the light added to her ferocity she said "By decree of the Crown Princee, you shall take us to Kokoro right NOW!" Suika's expression just got wilder, her instincts as an oni bursting forth as she cracked the other knuckles and said "As expected, you're willing to fight!"

She then spun her arms around and lashed the chains against the ground to kick up dust before smashing her fists together and sending out a shockwave that nearly blew down the trees behind her. Miko paused for a moment, realizing something important "…Of course, as an oni, you desire to fight."

"Duh! And hey, I'll even throw in a good deal for you too…." Suika swung a pointer finger towards Byakuren and Miko, telling them earnestly "If just one of you fights and defeats me, I'll open the way to Mayohiga so you can try and get Kokoro back."

Byakuren and Miko gave a skeptical glance, forcing the oni to remind them "Hey, onis don't lie." Suika held her arms against her chest as Miko was ready to finish drawing her sword. However, Byakuren held her arm out and firmly said "I'll handle this." Her followers reacted with a unified gasp.

"M-Miss Hijiri!" Kyouko proclaimed, while Suika let out an impressed whistle between her fangs while planting her knuckles against her hips. Byakuren turned to her, pulling some prayers beads from a pocket and holding them below her chin. Her mind tried to delve into serenity even as Suika spoke to her "Fighting a priest is no different than fighting a shrine maiden. If you're expecting me to hold back…"

After her solemn prayer, Byakuren put the beads around her neck and looked at the oni with an absolutely calm expression "I hope you don't. I WILL rescue our daughter." She then took a couple steps towards her opponent, the tension rising around the area as the Buddhists and Taoists moved back at Miko's gesture. Miko looked towards Byakuren and remarked "I do not wish to cast doubt but…You have to be wary of this oni in particular."

Without looking back, Byakuren nodded and then moved again until she was only a foot away from the oni. Their glares met, Byakuren's calm and Suika's merry, and the oni said to her "Truth be told, I heard you're pretty strong. That you made that one vampire cry to her mommy." Byakuren didn't say anything, her presence filled with enough determination to make Suika grin.

"Well…alright then." The oni dug her toenails into the ground and pulled her right fist back. Byakuren spread her legs a little and pulled her own fist back, then after a slight pause both threw their punches at each other. When they collided the force of their blows lashed out as shockwaves of pressurized air as rough as storm gales. A couple trees had their trunks split wide open and they fell down, with Suika leaping back out to grab one tree at the base.

It's effortlessly swung like a bat and Byakuren swings the side of her arm against the tree to break it apart, but not without her skin reddening from roughness. The splinters fly out before her eyes, making it hard to react as the oni bounced forth after throwing the trunk across the ground. Suika swung her fists twice and hit Byakuren's crossed arms, pushing her back each time. The oni is able to land right away and trip the priest with a hard kick to the back of her legs.

Byakuren's eyes widened as her body was thrown up, halting her counterattack and allowing the oni to grab her by the legs. With a twist of the body the oni is able to throw her towards the forest. Byakuren crashed through two trees with the back of her dress torn, but she's able to clap her hands and use magic to increase her mass so she dropped to the ground immediately. Her feet dirtied by the tracts she dug into the ground, Byakuren nevertheless had firm footing when Suika came charging at her with horns held down.

With some concentration Byakuren used another spell to make her eyes more perceptive, allowing her to grab Suika's horns as they were inches away from her body. This plan couldn't deal with the oni's strength even as Byakuren pushed forth with all her might, and her legs were dragged back deeper into the ground which in turn compromised her position. It was only when her back was against another tree that the priest stiffened her legs and made her move.

Smashing her head against the tree as she bent back was a light cost as it allowed her to pull her arms up and throw Suika into the air, her body blowing apart the leaves of the canopy and eventually entering the clouds. Byakuren looked down, given a moment to rest as she rubbed the dirt and blood mixed on her legs. Her touch started to heal the wounds when she was disrupted by a massive shadow looming above.

Byakuren looked up to a giant foot coming towards her, as Suika has made herself thirty feet tall. With little time to spare Byakuren turned and punched the tree down, leaping underneath it's falling form and sprinting as fast as she could through the forest. She just barely made it away from the impact zone as Suika turned the area around her foot into a mushy crater of dirt and splinters. Birds fluttered off in droves while Suika swerved her titanic head around and echoed playfully "Where are you?! I wouldn't want to break down the forest to find ya!"

She'd get her answer when a thick tree flies out of the forest going for her knee. Suika turns her knee into mist without disrupting the balance, and with knuckles pressed against her hips she said "Oh come on that was obvious" before finding her balance being disrupted from behind as something struck her there. She began to fall forward, but with a grin she looked back and saw Byakuren in mid-air with fist held out.

"Ah, you rode the tree, not bad!" Suika let out that one last echoing remark before shrinking herself down and landing at the back edge of the crater. Byakuren stood in the center of the crater with some blood trickling down the side of her face, and with a quiet aura around her she held her hands before her chest and stared up at Suika.

"You've gotten a couple good blows in so far, not bad!" The oni grabbed her right shoulder and swung the arm around, shuffling a foot back and forth to dig herself in place.

"Now I'll have a little more fun with this!" The ground rumbled on both sides of Byakuren's body, and two tiny Suikas leaped out and punched her in the face hard enough to make her turn. She spins a couple times while the real Suika digs her hands into the ground and heaves at least ten feet of the crater's underground straight into the sky. Byakuren collapsed onto her back and was stuck there despite her attempts to free herself.

Only when the mass falls is she able to free herself, but a giant Suika was ready with her right fist burning at the chains to shatter the mass into tiny chunks. The sky burned with chunks of rock large and small as Suika shrunk down and let them hit her to little effect. Byakuren fell to her feet with parts of her dress burned off, her skin singed, and bruises across her arms. Suika suddenly pulled out her purple gourd and drank some sake from it.

"You've given me a good fight so far, I'm impressed! But…" Swiping the gourd away from her slobbering face, Suika's cheeks blushed and she stood amongst the burning rocks drenched in shadows that her and the smirk she gave look especially beastly. Byakuren looked at her while her body felt ready to collapse, seeing the oni as she should've been the whole time. Finally, Suika finished "You're just one flick away from falling like a domino!"

The oni tossed aside her gourd aside and swung her fist back around, gritting her fangs and saying "Hey, don't feel bad! You're strong, just not oni strong! If it makes you feel any better though, the menreiki will be alright." She then launched herself at Byakuren, who had a tired yet unflinching gaze as the punch was thrown. Suika, expecting an easy victory, was surprised when her punched was caught in the priest's grasp, with her using her other hand as support while holding her ground.

"Hey, you still got the will to fight!" Suika grinned confidently. Byakuren's eyes were obscured by her hair as she lowered her head and muttered a few words, at which point her body started to be bathed in a vibrant aurora-like light. The area shook as slowly but surely some glowing tattoos spread across Byakuren's skin, much to Suika's confusion.

"Underestimate my strength, fine…But do not underestimate…" Her aura bursting out with enough radiance to overcome the sea of ash and flames, Byakuren raised her head to glare forth with fiercely burning eyes and exclaimed "A mother's desire to save her child!" Her grip made the oni's bones crack and with her still surprised there was nothing Suika could do to prevent Byakuren from raising her up and slamming her against the ground.

The rocks erupted around the oni, but when leaped up she was hit with a straight punch to the face that sent her grinding back along the ground. The fire in the air had dispersed by this point, but the one in Suika's eyes burned even brighter. She smeared some blood from lips and watched as Byakuren sped right in front of her instantly while raising her shapely leg up high. Even as a blur in the air the leg was visible enough for Suika to leap onto the toes and let herself get launched without harm.

Byakuren readjusted her posture and looked up to see Suika once again growing larger, but in the middle of the process the priest rocketed up and smashed her fist into Suika's chin. Her head jerked back as a shockwave ruptured the sky, and with her spiraling backwards she plummeted towards the ground. Suika grit her teeth and while stamping the ground split a part of herself underneath and waited for Byakuren to come at her, at which point another clone of herself popped right out and struck the priest in the chin with a powerful uppercut.

Byakuren's aura kept flaring brightly as she stood her ground and pushed her chin down against the clone's fist. When the clone was dropped to the ground the priest instantly punched Suika in the face and knocked her back. The oni smiled and then sets her chains on fire, planting her hands against the ground and causing the ground to erupt towards Byakuren.

Leaping forth, Byakuren tumbled through the flames even at the cost of parts of her clothes burning off, but her singed skin healed up quickly and left her undeterred from going for another punch. Suika shrunk herself down and dodged the punch, sprinting underneath Byakuren and safely returning to normal size at the center of the crater. She then turns around and tauntingly gestures at herself.

Byakuren doesn't even get to run when a giant fist pops from the ground and launches her skyward. Suika then claps her hands jollily and summons dozens of clones to throw themselves at Byakuren from all directions, trapping her in a cage of punches. Even their strength combined couldn't help when Byakuren released her energy in a massive burst that sent the clones flying all-around.

The priest charged at Suika and the oni started to turn to mist. Byakuren pulled out a golden dagger and charged it with magic, throwing straight forth like a bullet and rearing that same hand back into a fist. The dagger sticks to Suika's body chest and keeps her solidified, and as the oni bears things down and tries to pull the dagger out Byakuren was already right in front of her with fist an inch from the face.

Suika's eyes widened but she couldn't help but smirk as Byakuren's punch buried her six feet underground in an instant. All the energy was released in a burst of light from cracks half a mile around, and from above it'd look like a lotus. For a while there was silence, Byakuren keeping her fist into the ground as her "Superhuman" spell wore off. When the broken ground rumbled, Suika raised a thumb up out of it and said in a muffled tone "Ha..hahaha! Alright, you've won!"

Byakuren raised her brows a bit, yet didn't hesitate to pull Suika from the ground and letting her stand up. There was a scratch on Suika's horn and a couple of her fangs were broken, but other than that she had just a few scuffs and bruises. Suika grinned and pulled out her gourd, taking a drink of it and saying "Hey, that was a fun fight!"

"…Were you holding back?" Byakuren inquired with a suspecting glare, yet Suika just glanced at her playfully to say "Hey now, why'd you want to take the wind out of the sails of victory? Shouldn't you be more concerned with getting to your daughter?"

The priest gave little resistance and nodded her head, then Suika energetically leaped her way back to the Myouren Temple. Byakuren flew back as well, by then Tenshi having risen to her feet. Miko let out a relieved sigh while the Celestial was just glaring at the oni. When Byakuren was back, Suika threw the dagger back to her and then pulled out a small glowing scalpel. It was surrounded by a dark purple aura with some slight crimson on the edge.

"Alright, let me just open the gap to Mayohiga and you can go have fun with Yukari!"

"And then you can buzz off you oni pest!" Tenshi exclaimed, her blunt tone returned. Suika grinned and after waving the scalpel around tauntingly turned around and sliced the air cleanly, a massive rift opening up to a dimension filled with fog. The scalpel broke and Suika planted her hands against her hips, saying with a slight slur "Well, have fun! Oh, but one thing I'd like to say…"

Her expression got a bit serious for once as she said "You better be ready to consider the possibility that YOU are doing the wrong thing." She then leaped out of the area just as quickly as she had returned, and with Byakuren shaking her arm a bit from tension she stepped up to Miko and Tenshi as all of them focused on the gap.

"We should get going…We can't keep Kokoro waiting." Tenshi was surprisingly the first to break the silence, but neither Byakuren or Miko disagreed. Yet as they made their way to the gap, a meek voice called out to them "W-Wait Miss Hijiri! We're coming with you!"

It was Kyouko speaking up for the group, who stood determined and at the ready. Byakuren shook her head and stated "No way! Yukari is not someone to take lightly." Miko was the one who spoke up for the group by stating "Hijiri, I don't think they are wanting to come to fight the witch…Instead, their desire is to make sure that Kokoro comes back safely. Besides, there is something to be said for strength in numbers."

Byakuren looked at her followers, their faces firm and strong, and upon reflecting on their experiences with Kokoro the priest hung her head a little and said "You can come along…but please be careful." Everyone assured her with a nod, and the last bit of hesitation came from a deep sigh from Byakuren and Miko. Tenshi was the first to leap into the gap, her anger guiding her hand to draw the Hisou no Tsurugi as they went to Mayohiga. When everyone gathered inside the strange realm, the gap closed up behind them.

They were greeted by a deep grey fog bathed across this hollow village. There were no sounds save for the whispers of parted spirits passing by. Some of the weaker Youkai in the group quivered but huddled close to the stronger as Byakuren, Miko and Tenshi took the lead. It didn't take them long though until a pale light guided them towards Kokoro, who was suspended between two phantom boney hands digging into her head.

"Kokoro!" Tenshi leaped in a panic and tried to cut the hands, but some lasers fell down around the menreiki's body and made the Celestial retreat. Then, with hearts pounding against their chests like a symphony of tiny drums, the group looked up as the violet Youkai enigma descended as a shadow amongst the fog, swinging her parasol to part the fog and put it over her shoulder. When Yukari hovered before Kokoro she leaned against a gap and gave a smile of hidden intentions.

Her irises glided from one side to the other as she stayed perfectly still until Byakuren said "Yakumo Yukari…What have you done with Kokoro?!" with a firmness more expected from Miko.

Yukari held a hand out and gave a lazy gesture, commenting in a tired voice "Before you chose to come, you should've brought a gift. Though then again…" Yukari moistened her lips and let out a limp smack, making the timid Youkais whimper. With a playful raise of her brows she said "Not that I am hungry at the moment."

"We don't have time for your games. You know what we're here for." Miko said, her face contorting just a bit as her powers only revealed a haze in Yukari's desires. The Youkai smirked and responded "No time for games? Yet you've been playing one this whole time."

"We've figured that." Said Miko bluntly, Yukari crassly telling her without a pause "So you say, but what's the point of determining you are a player if you can't even determine the purpose of the game or your role?"

"And I suppose you aren't going to make us privy to such information, youkai?" Miko said as her hand slowly went to her blade.

"Not if your attitude borders on the aggressive, child of the crown." Yukari brushes her hand out, and while Miko does let go of her sword she glances at Tenshi and Byakuren and belays her intentions with a nod. For the time being, the group was quiet as Yukari moved aside and floated upright, allowing Kokoro to be visible.

Her eyes were lifeless yet her body appeared to not be scarred. Byakuren tensed her fists while Miko mustered up every bit of patience she could, and Yukari cracked a smile at them until she began to speak.

"The tanuki made things interesting by trying to have you teach the menreiki, but you were just holding back her potential all this time." Yukari could see the confusion even with how subtly it was expressed, and with a smile creaking forth like a rusted gear she continued "The tanuki was good at keeping the truth hidden, but the REAL truth of the matter is something I have not yet expressed everything regarding the menreiki and her role in future events."

She then held her head up high and docilely said "There are many gods and goddesses holding their grip on various functions in this universe of ours. Regardless of their allegiances or scuffles towards one another, they end up working towards the unified purpose of keeping this 'boat' we call reality afloat. Yet there's one thing even the strongest succumb to…Their base desires, their emotions, their feelings emanating from the deepest reaches of their souls."

"They have no choice but to listen, for without 'emotion', without 'desire' and without 'feeling' then aren't you nothing more than a puppet guided by the whims of fate? There are some who might disagree with that, but there was one goddess in particular who maintained this firm and fantastical belief across the universe no matter what. In the time before sentience became part of the infinite, this goddess used their sixty-six masks to spread emotions to those who needed it."

"S-Sixty six masks…?" Miko's pale-faced stutter was met by Yukari bluntly stating "Speak only when addressed with an inquiry, child of the crown" before she continued on while relishing a bit in the realization creeping up on the group's face.

"The goddess remained in secrecy, not wanting either attention nor recognition for their actions. As time passed though, the concepts of 'emotion', 'desire' and 'feeling' became so ingrained into the infinite of reality that the goddess slowly began to disappear. Faith, after all, could not reach someone who never made their presence known. History would forget this goddess, yet fate would still have plans for their particular powers."

"When, by sheer coincidence, the sixty-six masks were created by human hands, magnetically luring the lingering traces of this goddess' powers into their forms. Thus, when the tsukumogami process happened, a rather unique one was born. A human body, inhabited by the remnants of power for sixty-six emotional masks, was born. Because of this confliction, this person could not expression emotions unless the strength of their 'feelings' and 'desires' matched the strength of the individual masks."

"The menreiki, born with the name of Hata no Kokoro, is the reincarnation of the goddess, Kokoro-no-Okami." Only Yukari could end such a sentence so stoically, and she spent her time after with a docile smirk as the group reacted with differing degrees of shock. Tenshi in particular swung her sword out and exclaimed "Bullshit! You think you could trick us with that fairy tale?!"

"Trick? …Fairy tale? Only inexperienced children use those words…Though I suppose they will forever describe the coddled Celestial. My words are the truth, a carryover from the boundless history of this universe of ours. Regardless of your views Celestial, there's nothing you can do to make me change my mind on giving you back the menreiki. Her latent power needs to be awakened in order to combat what lies ahead, and I can no longer wait for you to see this duty through."

"Then why bother telling us this story?" Miko inquired. With a mischievous grin, Yukari said "When did I ever say I was telling YOU that story?"

"I-I beg your pardon?" Miko could not describe the uneasiness that churned in her stomach, and Yukari continued to say "You do not understand what you're getting into if you believe that you are the ones of importance here. Your role as a 'player' has come to an end. Now you are worthless. That's all you needed to know."

Byakuren clenched her fists and Miko immediately drew her sword, taking the lead and proclaiming "ENOUGH!" in unison. Miko stated "We are taking our daughter back and you WILL give her to us!" As they started to advance towards her Yukari let out a tired sigh and lifted her right hand up leisurely.

"You're in no position to demand anything. I see…I have no choice but to make a point." Her fingers gestured aloofly, and all of a sudden Byakuren and Miko fell to their knees as their eyes widened and their bodies shook violently. They gargled as the fog around them forced itself into their bodies, which then caused strands of thick darkness to erupt from their mouths and envelop them whole.

"L-Lady Hijiri!"

"C-Crown Prince!"

The followers were at a loss for words besides the abject fear taking control of their minds, and Tenshi pulled back and grimaced as the darkness swallowed the helpless parents and turned them into a puddle of black goop. It didn't end there though, as the darkness rose up into two titans of differing and grotesque shapes.

From the left puddle emerged…something held up by a pitch black humanesque hand. It wore the cape of Miko, but the rest of it's "clothes" were made out of pale white and violet arm save for one pink one grappling the center of its "chest". Its hair was styled similarly yet with two horns made visibly out of hands, and its eyes were pale, yellow and sagging amongst the black canvas that was its face. Behind it was a blasphemous golden metallic sun, and loosely held in its fingers were its shaku and sword.

From the other puddle emerged a thick silver skull with dozens of lifeless spider-like grey eyes and an irregular gaping maw with the black of a void inside of it. Strapped to the forehead by violet ribbons was half of Byakuren's body, yet the skin was pale white and there were no eyes to speak of. Waving out from the sides of the skull were the symbols usually seen on Byakuren's magic scroll along with some very bizarre violet/white membrane tentacles.

The two titans towered terrifyingly over the group, drawing squeals out of the weak and revulsion even from the strong. Between and behind these grotesque creatures Yukari floated, her eyes drooping tiredly as she looked towards the group. In a voice distorted to sound like Byakuren and Miko, these titans proclaimed _"I am the Shadow…the true self!"_ and Tenshi was ultimately the only one who could say anything.

"W-What have you done to them?! This is fucked up!" Tenshi proclaimed like a scared little child, and with a cold raised of her brows Yukari's face was cast in a monstrous shadow as she stoically commented "What did I do? Nothing…You, Celestial, are the one who brought them here to die. This is the price to pay for the folly of overestimating your position…"

 _Next Time: Impossible Survival_


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: An Increasingly Insurmountable Wall**

What started as a heroic charge to rescue their captured friend has turned to cowardice in the face of Yukari's bizarre and forced transformations towards Byakuren and Miko. Only Tenshi could stand before those twisted, nightmarish behemoths without feeling the desire to retreat. They did not speak beyond their puzzling introductions as 'Shadows', but they still let out the occasional moan.

These cruel, agonizing moans echoed through the foggy realm, and Kyouko, who could hear these down to the finest detail, fell over with hands grasped tightly against the sides of her head while her body broke into a cold sweat.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Her scream drowned out the moans and brought on tears, as she feverishly denied these events with a violent shake of her head "T-This isn't happening…M-Miss Hijiri is…!"

Ichirin went to comfort Kyouko as best she could, swinging her head to glare bitterly at Yukari, who loomed between the twisted Byakuren and Miko with a pale, emotionless expression. Tenshi drew her Hisou no Tsurugi at the witch and proclaimed "Goddamn you, what do you get out of all this?!"

"Did I not make it clear you would not be privy to the truth?" Yukari replied near-instantly, laying her parasol atop her shoulder as she held her arms aloofly towards the 'Shadows' and continued "Is this proof of punishment for defiance not enough for you? Do you truly need even more reasons to understand how futile this struggle is?"

"Answer. The. QUESTION!" Tenshi's frustration towards Yukari's dodgy behavior was beginning to reach a boiling point, and for once the witch cracked a tiny grin before responding "You believe you are worth something so great that I would dare to give you even an iota of the truth. One person is just a speck in the world, and not even a subatomic particle in the scheme of the universe."

Brazen as could be, the witch did not stop there as she continued to pound the meaning of insignificance into the Celestial's mind, and in doing so the group as well "Even a gathering of specks only succeeds in making them an easier target. It's vexing to imagine the mentality it must've taken for you to decide this…"

"We're doing this to save Kokoro! Are you so depraved that you don't understand that?!" Tenshi was very belligerent, bordering on a point that her throat could've gone hoarse at a given moment. Yukari again smiled, this time loftily gesturing as she said "Says the Celestial who quaked the world just to cure her boredom. And you don't even question how your mentality could've possibly shifted from that behavior to being someone who truly cares for this menreiki."

"I don't need to question anything! Kokoro has been my friend…She tolerated someone like me even after what I did to her." Tenshi thought back to the times she shared with Kokoro, calming until the bitterness rose back up and brought on a couple tears, which wetted her next words "S-She's like a sister to me even! Not that someone like you, who beats her subordinates, would understand what family and friendship is!"

Tenshi could not notice the twinge Yukari had as she heard that, but there was a slight chuckle that led into her response of "That was not the point I was getting at, but thank you for that anyways. What by that is something else…None of you truly grasp the oddity of what is at work here. Does it not seem weird to you how the state of Gensokyo almost seems to be warped to make these recent events occur? A paper suddenly delivered to the Celestial to send her off on a quest? The normally docile monk beating down the vampire and an oni?"

"Coincidence…favoritism…I suppose you could chalk this up to the world going on as it wishes. However, the way the world is going is certainly peculiar. It is said that the Earth may be, in some degree, sentient, and going on that theory it acts much like the human body does. When threatened, it has defense mechanisms to save itself. Gensokyo, however, takes that theory and makes it a reality, so I believe…"

"All of you are being prepared for something major that'll approach this world. An incident that cannot be solved, perhaps. So I am just working with these circumstances, making sure that we will not be made extinct."

Tenshi grit her teeth and said "So that's what this is about…You are once again discarding all morality, trying to play God under the pretense of 'preparing' us for something! Like hell you are!" Yukari, winded from her long speech, let out a sigh and shook her head.

"'God'…you say I am playing. I am neither 'human', nor 'God'…Even 'Youkai' might be a rather inaccurate term. To say I have a sense of morality is almost laughable, Celestial. Yet, make no mistake about it…I love Gensokyo. It has been my home longer than you know. I am as much a part of it as it has been a part of me. That is why, as much you deem me a monster, I will defy your labels and offer you one final chance."

Yukari looked to the 'Shadows' and explained "If you leave here now, I will return these two to normal. However, you have to also accept and believe in the fact that I will do right with the menreiki. At this point, it is your safest resp-" A screech rang out in a cylindrical form, smashing Yukari in the face and pushing her back a few feet. Then, Unzan rushed in and grabbed the 'Shadows' by their faces, slamming them against the ground with a hesitating grunt.

Tenshi blinked twice and looked back, seeing a teary-eyed Kyouko with her mouth wide open, and Ichirin holding a ring out defiantly. The yamabiko closed her eyes and screamed "We-We're not giving her up to you, you stupid kidnapping jerk! Kokoro is m-my-no…OUR friend! She's part of OUR family, not yours! So if you want her…You're going to have to go through all of us!"

Ichirin looked to the Celestial and proclaimed as she quivered "Y-You can handle Yukari! W-We'll beat whatever's possessing Miss Hijiri and Lady Miko and get them back to normal ourselves!" Tenshi had her mouth agape for a little, turning to look as the 'Shadows' pushed themselves back up inorganically and sliced through Unzan's hands through unknown means.

"GO!" Ichirin proclaimed, and with an approving nod followed by a gulp Tenshi leaped between the 'Shadows' and readied to slash at Yukari. The witch, as the blood leaking from her ears retreated back in, cracked a curious smile and murmured "So, battle is what _**you**_ choose. Very well then…" As the sword was swung out Yukari created two gaps that caused Tenshi to hit herself with the slash and get knocked to the ground.

As Tenshi quickly rose up Yukari grinned and said "Then I will play _**your**_ game again. How very, very interesting…" The Celestial leaped up and tried to cut at the witch with a few rapid slashes, but Yukari floated back to dodge them while her eyes were closed. She kept Kokoro safely behind her at all times, and commented on that almost jovially "You are welcome to attack me from behind."

"Screw you!" Tenshi proclaimed as she widened the blade of her Hisou no Tsurugi and went for a more powerful swing than before. Yukari sunk back into a gap, and Tenshi quickly halted before harming Kokoro. Tenshi thought to attack the hands holding her, but the sheer blankness in the menreiki's eyes brought enough hesitation that the Celestial could do nothing as Yukari appeared behind her and grabbed her by the neck as she turned.

But it was not Yukari's actual hands that touched her, but the same type of cold ghastly limbs that were lodged into Kokoro's brain. Yukari held Tenshi up a bit and forced her head to look at the battle going on between the two religious groups and their monstrous leaders. Flashes of light brought on by "Miko's" sword cut through the fog and ripped apart the ground as a team of Murasa, Futo, and Tojiko worked their elemental attacks together to bring Miko down. Twirling streams of water were ignited by Tojiko, and Futo bathed the 'Shadow' in fire when it's skin was cracked.

Futo laid on the fire rather thick, paining herself as the 'Shadow' let out gargling, agonizing cries. "Crown Prince, I shall not fail-eth you! F-Fight back damn it! This cannot consume-eth you!" Her pleas came out vigorously, every ounce of her devotion culminating in the actions she took to try and save the person she considered most important to her.

With the other group, consisting of Nue, Ichirin, Unzan, Kyouko and Kogasa, they had to focus more on holding back the 'Shadow' of Byakuren's impressive strength. They would not falter, not be pushed back, and most certainly not let fear work against them. Loyalty and appreciation towards this person, this saint who gave them a purpose beyond what was expected of them, was far stronger than the darkness cast through this suffocating realm.

Yet even with everyone's cooperation in these desperate times, the 'Shadows' barely slowed and continued to attack. They lashed out violently and without focus, as though their base primitives desires were brought to the forefront. Without mercy or regard towards their comrades they kept on fighting, bringing devastation to the realm as Tenshi was force to watch, choked by the hand Yukari had gripped onto her neck.

"I want you to understand something, Celestial…I cannot be blamed for these events." She spoke without emotion and closed her eyes, cracking a docile smile despite her next words dripping with vile "After all, those two chose to lead their followers to my realm. Even knowing I was not one to be trifled with. That's because, like all beings, they are imperfect, and make mistakes. This could've been a learning experience, a chance for them to realize a grand folly and come out of it stronger."

"But…I suppose there's no helping it sometimes. One cannot truly determine how much it takes for someone to learn a lesson. One could be cruelly mocked by their peers, battered and beaten by mindless thugs, or wallow in their own self-doubts…Yet despite one or all of these things, they would continue their venomous mindsets. Truly the stubborn are those that poison the universe, but of course there is one truly final way to teach the blind and idiotic. A simple bout of death will do the deed right, above all else."

"So when you wondered what I am, I repeat again…I am not 'human', I am not 'God', I am barely even 'Youkai'. I am a teacher…I am Death." Yukari then slammed Tenshi against the ground and allowed her the chance to stand up, opening her eyes to a piercing glare.

"Your blade…It shapes itself to target the weaknesses of those you fight. It is something even I'm slightly weary of."

Tenshi clenched the handle of her blade and held it out beside, proclaiming "Good! Then you DO know fear!" Yukari smiled and said "Weariness is not the same as fear. There is nothing wrong with being concerned of weaknesses. Like how Celestials fear death. Now then, as I was getting at…If a point must be made to you all of the consequences of your behavior, then I will teach that through death. Now then, I have had my fun playing with you. I have more important things to deal with."

With a brush of Yukari's hand, four people suddenly leaped out and surrounded Tenshi. Ran and Chen were expected, but the half-ghost half-human gardener Youmu and the pink-haired ghostly princess Yuyuko were a surprise Tenshi did not need to deal with. Ran hung a claw out with her ferocity manifesting in a wide grin, Youmu drew both of her swords, and Yuyuko waved her fan before her face with a quiet look in her eyes.

"Well Celestial? What shall be your next move?" Yukari asked as she floated over her and pushed Kokoro away from the battle.

"You won't get aw-" Tenshi was stopped when Ran got in front of her and widely swung her claw forth, forcing the Celestial to swing their sword and repel the attack. The other claw swung out and sliced through the chest of her clothes, forcing her back as blood was dragged from the skin. Tenshi quickly turned around and blocked a frontal assault from Chen, but then Youmu got behind and with two broad swipes struck the Celestial with light that sent her flying through the wall of a nearby house.

A luminescent swarm of pink and blue butterflies floats into the house and blows it up in a puff of magical smoke, throwing Tenshi back along the ground, where she rolls into the path of a sprinting Ran, who throws her claws into Tenshi's back as hard as she could. The pain breeched the Celestial's body like an iron hot nail, grasping her so tightly she could only gasp until the kitsune threw her against the ground with all her might.

Ran then licked the blood from her claws and commented "It's rare that I get to let loose and be my old self, but for you…Ooooooh is it WORTH it." Tenshi tried to get up, but Ran stamped right on her back to keep her down.

"Eacch…AUUUUGH!" Tenshi convulses in pain, but fought through it with hands digging into the ground. Yuyuko, Youmu and Chen stood by, but the half-ghost looked away from what was going on with slight disgust in her eyes. Contrasting, Chen was clapping gleefully.

Tenshi looked up, peering through her dampened eyes to see Yukari gently gliding her hand around Kokoro's face, and through anger the Celestial exclaimed "D-Damn dog…! Can't you think for yourself?! How could you do this?!"

"Your attitude is laughable, Celestial…" Ran mocked condescendingly, then harshly told her while wiggling her foot back and forth to grind at the bones "You are the one in the wrong. Lady Yukari is right. What she is doing is saving us. The menreiki should be thankful that she was even chosen for this great task."

"…H-Heh…Bark bark bark goes the dog, repeating the orders of it's master yet again, never once realizing it's blind…" Tenshi laughs and smiles in defiance. Ran glared down with an irritated frown. With a snap of her fingers she gestured for Chen to come over. The cat bent down beside Tenshi's head and forced it up with one hand, using the other to keep her eyelids open. Ran kneeled down and rubbed her claws together.

"I'll show you what it means to be blind, Celestial. After I have sent you to the darkness, then I will send you to the fires of Hell." Pulling back her spread out claws, Ran was all ready to put her all into her attack when suddenly…

" **Fire Sign…'Agni Shine'!"**

Ran is met by a large fireball that strikes her in the face and sends her flying away. Chen is then hit with another fireball and launched with a pitiful meow. Yuyuko looked to the left, hiding her curious grin behind her oriental fan as she said gently "Yukari, it seems you should have expected more guests."

Yukari pulled her attention towards the spot the group had come in from, and now another one was there. It was the crew from the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Sakuya, Meiling, Patchouli and Remilia. Remilia swung her claws out at the lead of her group and announced her presence laughing, telling Yukari with fangs grit "You're having a party this big and you didn't invite me? Well that's just RUDE, gap witch!"

Yukari grinned and said snidely "Well that's interesting…You appear to have attacked the wrong group, vampire." Remilia gripped her claw out with a ferocious smile and replied "Nah, I think your heads on backwards for this one witch. That'd explain how screwy this whole plan of yours is."

"…Ah, so you choose to ally yourself with someone. How strange for a vampire." Yukari was brushed off by a scoff from Remilia, who with a slight blush admitted "P-Please! You're just messing with the friend of my little sister. That isn't going to fly, so I'm going to have to stop you here and now!"

"You mean, WE will, right?" Another voice called out from behind the gap, and with something wrapped up in a mythical cloth on her back Mamizou stepped up beside Remilia as the vampire sarcastically said "Yeah yeah tanuki, the only reason you even got here in time was because that odd green-haired Youkai told you."

"Oh, and she didn't tell YOU either? That's not what I reca-"

"Look are you going to keep ruining my entrance or will you do what you said you could?"

"Hehehe, only if the self-proclaimed Queen of the Night can do her job." Remilia licked her lips and then smiled blood red, pointing a claw at the group surrounding Tenshi and saying "Sakuya, take care of the gardener. Meiling, you handle the kitsune! Patchouli, you get rid of the cat. I'll handle miss pretty in pink over there!"

Remilia immediately charged forth at Yuyuko, who swung her fan in defense of the vampire's glowing claws. The two were pushed away, while the rest of the Scarlet Devil Mansion crew got into a scuffle with their assigned partners. Beside Mamizou, Shou and Nazrin looked out and saw the battles with the 'Shadows' going on still.

"I-Is that Lady Hijiri…?!" Shou said in absolute disgust and shock. Mamizou brushed at the two and said "Thank you for the assistance. I'll handle this from here. Go, save the one you cherish most."

The tiger and mouse were off, with Mamizou strolling towards Yukari while reaching for the object on her back. Yukari grinned, gazing upon Mamizou with little care as her words carried the same tone "The tanuki once again comes crawling out. What boldness do you have in mind for today?"

"Hmmm…I don't know. Perhaps I'll let actions speak louder than words this time."

"Ohohoh…You plan to kill me?" Yukari humorously brushed a hand out, but Mamizou smirked as the cloth of the tall object began to unravel. Only a little had to come off for Yukari to react with a slight grimace. In the tanuki's grasp was something that could be described as a spear, but it's form warped around uncontrollably and took on many forms all within the same millisecond. No one variation was the same as the others.

"Kill you? No…I plan to erase you absolutely from this world, Yukari." Mamizou firmly swung the spear in front of her body, and all manners of time and space distorted until she pulled back. Yukari paused, face stiffened with what appeared to be mild concern, and she cracked a grin while replying "I must admit, I didn't expect you to be so foolish as to follow through on your little claim."

"What can I say, tanuki's are great deceivers. Even the great Yukari was fooled into thinking I'd hold back. No…This time around, you're not getting away from me. This spear, the first Hakurei's fabled 'Spear of Phenomenon Purging', shall be your end."

"A spear intended to rend phenomenon from the world…Even something as powerful as concepts falls in it's wake. To think the first Hakurei had intended to use that against me the whole time…I must say, it's strange to feel betrayed by an over thousand year-old corpse." Yukari expressed herself with little emotion, but quickly snapped her fingers and proclaimed "Ran! Forget the gatekeeper! Deal with the tanuki!"

The kitsune sprinted right over, leaving an already scarred Meiling confused. Remilia just directed her at Youmu in turn. Ran got in front of Mamizou and slashed both her claws out to blaze the sky with red streaks, but Mamizou drew her sword to block the attack and then flip around to slice Ran in the back.

"Come on kitsune, you want to play again? I'll be able to beat you back with one hand." Mamizou playfully stated, but briefly nudged over at Tenshi while proclaiming "Hey Celestial! Get up! You got a chance to save Kokoro, so take it while I deal with this mangy mutt!" The Celestial was halfway up, but seeing the others fighting so bravely across this realm brought light through the darkness and in turn inspiration enough for her to fight through the pain in her back and leap forward. With a soft landing she drew her sword at Yukari and boasted "Got anymore reinforcements to waste my time with?"

Yukari surveyed the battlefield and saw things differently. Fools defying the darkness in their false leaders' hearts and managing to slowly push it back. A misguided vampire and her crew fighting for the sake of nothing of significance to her. A tanuki who was surely deceiving all for her own reasons. And finally a lone Celestial, who had the tenacity capable of defying death and the gods themselves, fighting for something as simplistically naïve as 'friendship' and 'family'.

With gaps opening up all around her, Yukari snidely looked down upon Tenshi and stated "No matter your boasts…No matter the armies you send against me. I am the wall you cannot overcome. Even if you brave it, you will be met only with the fires of destruction incarnate. The fate I offer you, this simple, painless death, shall be liberation from this folly you choose to make. Enjoy your final moments, Tenshi Hinawani…For they shall be drenched in blood."

 _Next Time: Farewell to the Heart_


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Gensokyo's Kokoro**

An all-out brawl between the rescue squads for Kokoro and Yukari's forces continued to occur across the foggy realm of the Mayohiga. With no end in sight, each side pushed themselves to their absolute limits. Some fought for the one they cared for, others did it out of loyalty towards their master, but the strongest emotions came from one Tenshi Hinawani. With her blade, the legendary Hisou no Tsurugi, she sent a flurry of cuts towards the phantasm Yukari, trying to send her off of this plain of life to rescue Kokoro.

But Yukari was crafty, using gaps and simple glides across the air to dodge each attack no matter how widely they were spread. She did not acknowledge Tenshi's presence with anything more than a lax glance and a smirk, refusing to fight back. Tenshi was trying her best, of course, but Ran's earlier assault had weakened her swings.

"Celestial…I'm waiting for you to try." Yukari playfully said after a minute of dealing with this futility. Tenshi grit her teeth and with blade bright and holy she swung straight down with enough force to cleave a skyscraper, but with a widened smile Yukari disappeared into a gap and put Kokoro in the path. With a jerk of her arms the blade was stopped inches away from the head of the menreiki, the energy dispersing in sparkles.

Tenshi's wobbling grimace stalled her enough for Yukari to appear behind her. Launching her first attack from the same gap, Yukari watches as Tenshi was blown forth by a swirling crystal blue laser. After she tumbled along the ground for a few seconds, the Celestial swung around and landed on her feet. Smoke smoldered from her back and she looked at Kokoro, who Yukari turned around with a swing of the hand.

Her face was blanketed with stoicism, but Tenshi knew better when looking into those eyes. She was in pain, the ghastly hands lodged deep into her skull. The Celestial wanted to free her from the pain, but with her body scarred and Yukari with nary a scratch the hope on Tenshi's face slowly sank away. She did, however, have an idea in mind…

"Kokoro! Damn it all…! I know you can hear me! You have to fight back with everything you've got! I can't do this alone, and everyone else is struggling to fend off this witch's forces! Your mother and father have been turned into abominations for gods sake!" Tenshi emphasized her anger by swinging her free arm out, painstakingly yelling out to her friend. Yukari flew between her and Kokoro and said "Why do you assume…that your words will reach her?"

Yukari then unleashed a barrage of lasers from dozens of gaps, forcing Tenshi on the defensive. She could only swing her sword out until a stray laser grazed her leg and brought forth enough pain to drop the Celestial onto her gut, the remaining lasers bombarding down without mercy. From behind Yukari, Kokoro's right eye suddenly twitched.

As Tenshi kept losing ground, things were a little more optimistic for the other combatants. With their bodies tiring to the point of lines showing up under their eyes and their clothes drenched in blood and sweat, the Buddhists and Taoists had managed to weaken the 'Shadows' of Byakuren and Miko enough that anything could topple them over. With a combination of a screaming echo from Kyouko and a punch from Unzan, Byakuren's Shadow collapsed hardly onto the ground and heaved up a ring of dirt.

Then, it was Futo and Tojiko's flames and lightning that struck Miko's Shadow so hard that after a prolonged screech the titan fell face first. Their bodies covered by a hollow swarm of darkness, the 'Shadows' disappeared and Byakuren and Miko laid in their place. They both kneaded at the ground and weakly pushed themselves up. Once on their knees they were greeted by Shou and Futo respectively.

"S-Shou…? When did you…Hrggh!" Byakuren grips her right hand arm tightly and wobbles to the side, the tiger holding her up with shaky hands. With some tears in her eyes Shou stated "D-Do not move Lady Hijiri. Let me use the last of my strength to tend to your wounds."

The tiger's magic went into effect as Byakuren surveyed the area. The conflict going on behind alerted her of what was going on. "The vampire…? H-How badly has this gotten, Shou?" She inquired, hesitant to see where Kokoro was. Shou bit her lower lip and replied "We appear to have received some help, but…We've made no progress in saving Kokoro."

With head hung Byakuren said "All because my heart was weak…That witch exploited it, turning me into that monster that could've nearly killed all of you. Shou, forgive me, I do not deserve to be a Buddhist…" Shou exclaimed "I will hear none of that from you of all people, Lady Hijiri! We have not lost this fight…We have not lost Kokoro!"

Byakuren looked around and saw that her other followers could barely stand. When Shou was done, her and Miko would be the only ones able to fight from this side. Byakuren looked over her shoulder and with a frown said "We just charged into this battle for Kokoro's sake. I didn't expect it to go this badly…Perhaps we should've asked the Hakurei maiden for help."

"H-Heh…You think she would've? This is no 'incident', Hijiri. This is our problem, this is what WE have to deal with. B-But…Hrk…" Miko gripped her left shoulder as Futo used magic on her wounds, and with a chuckle the Crown Prince mentioned "Let us heal up first. I have faith in the Celestial standing up for Kokoro until we can join back in."

"Lady Mamizou has brought a weapon that could potentially destroy Yukari…But she's being stalled by the kitsune. It might be better to try and offer assistance than attack the witch directly, Lady Hijiri." Shou offered with a respecting bow, and Byakuren and Miko both agreed to that plan.

Though as far as Mamizou was concerned, she was keeping up with Ran's onslaught of attacks despite having one arm to move. Ran swept back and forth around the tanuki's body, trying to strike the arm holding the spear. Mamizou spun to swipe with her sword, deflecting every blow perfectly and even breaking a couple of Ran's nails.

The kitsune flipped back and lashed a claw out, exclaiming bitterly "Yet again you prove to be a pest for Lady Yukari! Damn you, tanuki!" Mamizou smiled as she spun the spear behind her, commenting with a bit of arrogance and joy "I do have a name, ya know. Also, if you really think even this spear makes her flinch…Then you are more ignorant than I thought, doggy."

Ran thrust forward and went for Mamizou's neck, but she dropped her sword and grabbed the wrist. After a twist to break the bones the tanuki threw the kitsune against the ground and spun to pick her sword up, remarking "Yet again you just yip yip yip…Maybe if you spent less time barking and more time thinking, you'd realize what a fool you are."

Ran pulled herself up and swiped the blood from her wrist, gritting her fangs and saying "With the explicit warnings Lady Yukari dared to give you, you truly have the GALL to call me the fool. You wish to damn this world?!" Mamizou lowered her head and her eyes hid behind the fog on her lens, denying Ran the ability to fully grasp her expression.

"Even if that witch is right, and destruction is coming to this world." Mamizou raised her sword in front of her and said "I shall take this sword and spear, and stab the destroyer through his burning heart! …And of course, I will do this after I paint it with the blood of your master."

"Heheh, and then there'd be nothing stopping you from making Gensokyo YOUR paradise, isn't that right tanuki?" Ran said with a sly grin, and Mamizou shrugged before replying "I love Gensokyo as much as anyone else who accepts it."

"Right…Keep telling yourself that lie." Ran said before continuing the battle with haste and determination. But as she charged for the tanuki she was blasted with a massive thunderbolt from above. The sky spasmed with light as Ran's fur was briefly fried, then the kitsune looked right and saw Patchouli standing with her book at the ready. Her pajamas were ripped quite a bit and Chen was on the ground beside her unconscious. The librarian's presence got a smile from the tanuki.

"Ah, I didn't necessarily require the back-up."

Patchouli replied with some snark "You get it anyways" and then raised a hand to the kitsune, who scowled like the cornered fox she is.

"You can try to claim you are on the side of justice, but then you had to go and kidnap a child…" Patchouli said, but after a dry snicker Mamizou said "Perhaps a vampire's friend should not be mentioning that."

"…You know, we could play for the other team at any time." Patchouli said calmly, and after another snicker the tanuki rolled between the librarian and the attacking kitsune to stop her with an uppercut to the chest.

"Eh, lets worry about what matters." Mamizou blew the kitsune away after that casual but pressing comment, and Ran was thrown through a couple houses. Along the way she passed between the battle against Remilia and Yuyuko, which was of course going in the vampire's favor. With her divine spear Gungnir, the vampire had the advantage in range and was able to pierce all the butterflies Yuyuko sent her way.

Yet throughout the battle, in opposition to Remilia's enjoyment and frenzy, Yuyuko smiled and loftily floated around, taking every hit in stride no matter how painful it appeared to be. Waving a bright fan before her face, Yuyuko remarked as Remilia continued the assault "You know, I must take grievance with you choosing this course of action, Remilia."

"Heh, yeah, I'll admit this is going to make it harder to get a steady supply of food, but it was either this or see my sister cry cause she lost her buddy. Personally I'll make do with some starvation, especially since it'll put that stupid witch in her place." Remilia said while rapidly swinging her spear around, slicing apart the houses while the only defense Yuyuko could offer was a swarm of exploding butterflies to put a slight distance between the two.

"You're going on the mentality that Yukari needs to be punished for something. What she's doing isn't necessarily 'wrong', persay. Even from a vampire's perspective, you could not comprehend what her mentality is." Yuyuko said before landing atop a rickety roof, and Remilia swung her arms and wings out to proclaim "Blah blah blah, that's loser talk!"

With a swing of her spear she throws it right ahead, ripping apart the fog and forcing Yuyuko to flip over it. The ghostly princess landed on the ground and strolled towards the vampire with the fan hiding her pondering expression.

"What's ultimately 'right' for Gensokyo is more important to her than what's 'right' in the sense of black and white morality. You'd perhaps be wise to take that into consideration before you make a mistake you'll regret for the rest of your long life." Yuyuko stopped just perfectly away from the length that Remilia's Gungnir could reach as it was recalled. When she folded her fan up, the ghost princess commented "I'll be honest…We were hoping to use your sister as an asset to stop the coming threat, but I suppose you have made that almost impossible."

Remilia's eyes widened and then she thrust Gungnir into Yuyuko with all of her might, smashing the spear apart and creating a massive crimson explosion that the ghost was blown out of right away. She was thrown against the side of a building, wobbling on the ground once she pulled off. With a slight smile Yuyuko lifted her head up as Remilia charged out of the smoke enraged. All it took was a swing of the arms to summon forth a magical seal that protected Yuyuko from the attack, discharging pink electricity that left the vampire paralyzed.

"G-Ghhhhh…!" Remilia was frozen in place as the seal vanished, but her tenacity was undoing the paralysis very quickly. Yuyuko gently laid her fingers on the vampire's arms and said "Well, I've said all I needed to. It was nice to get out of the house for once, but I must get back before dinner time. Oh, but before I say farewell vampire…"

Yuyuko's fingers released a seal of energy that crawled across Remilia's arms and glowed bright pink, and a moment later the skin began to crack apart. A moment later, Remilia was blown away by her arms being destroyed, the explosion cast in a pale radiance that shadows the lack of emotion on Yuyuko's face. Remilia experienced genuine pain as she skid along the ground and looked at the stubbles that were now left of her arms.

As the vampire looked at her Yuyuko held a fan out and commented "I would rather your regenerative abilities not be a thorn in Yukari's side for the moment, so I have temporarily 'killed' your arms. You can express your frustrations about it later, sorry to say." Yuyuko quickly glided off to pick up Youmu, who had managed to knock Sakuya out before falling unconscious, and Remilia was left with an unbearable amount of pain in her arms.

"S-Shitty ghost princess…C-Can't believe you pulled this on me." Remilia scowled for a little bit as the pain brought her to her knees, but then she grinned and started laughing in a slightly unhinged manner "B-But if you think that this'll keep me down, then you underestimate Remilia…Q-Queen of…the…Niiii-" The vampire collapsed onto her stomach a second after. Her comrades had already fallen as well, leaving just Mamizou, Byakuren, Miko and Tenshi to stand against Yukari.

However, to say Tenshi was a combatant was a hopeful gesture towards the outmatched Celestial. Yukari was still unharmed, her trickery able to match every ounce of brute force that Tenshi offered with her blade. The Celestial was too tired to even be frustrated, yet she continued to fight a battle for reasons even she was beginning to call into question. Yukari saw the confusion mixed amongst the frustration and remarked coldly after slipping into a gap.

"Is your life really worth more than the menreiki's safety? Are you truly willing to die for the freedom of another?"

Tenshi paused and caught her breath, answering to the best of her ability between each inhale and exhale "O-Of course not! Why the hell would I ever want to die?! T-That's why I'm taking Kokoro back with me!" Blood was dripping from her forehead and the sides of her mouth, yet her determination was stronger than any laser or mind game Yukari could play.

With a brief survey, Yukari could see who still stood amongst the battlefield, including the approaching Byakuren, Miko and Mamizou. Then she closed her eyes, putting her parasol within a gap and then folding her hands atop her lap as she sat loftily atop another gap and kept Kokoro directly behind her. The tanuki grimaced and she held the spear tightly, murmuring to Byakuren and Miko "You will need to get her out of the way…I cannot guarantee this not also hitting Kokoro."

Yukari quickly said "Scheming yet again, tanuki of Futatsuiwa? Well let me just mention that I have no attention of peeling the menreiki away from me, seeing as you hold the one thing that could kill me in your hand. So perhaps, instead, you should shut up and listen to what I have to say…Or rather, what I'm going to mention again since you have failed completely at bringing this up to the others."

"Pfff, you're choosing to pin the blame on me for not believing your maddening fairy tale. Fine, if you're going to be that way, then I'll be the one to speak out." Mamizou said as Byakuren and Miko looked back at her.

"You see, the witch firmly believes that a being called 'The Phoenix of Destruction' will come to Gensokyo sometime soon and bring about the end of everything. I'm going to guess she already gave you some spiel about Kokoro's power being necessary to stop this mythical being?"

"W-Well about that…When this is said and done, we're going to have to catch you up on the fact that Kokoro's an incarnation of a goddess." Miko commented weakly, and Mamizou widened her eyes and said with some exasperation "…E-Excuse me?"

"Fufufu, yes, yet again something slipped the grasp of your understanding. At this point I can't even find that commendable but rather pathetic, Mamizou." Yukari said with scorn unlike what she usually uses.

"That doesn't matter right now! How could you claim that something is going to come and destroy our world?!" Byakuren proclaimed with an arm swung out, and Yukari responded as gently as she could "Claim? …I am growing weary of being called a guesser, a false prophet, or perhaps the cruelest of all…A liar. Do you believe that we'd be standing here facing each other down if I was acting on paranoia?"

"He WILL come. And you can either lie down and wait to die like a dog, or you can accept my warnings and allow me to give us a fighting chance." Yukari said, though her mannerisms were not that of a woman begging.

"Shut up! You're out of your goddamn mind if you expect us to believe that you're fighting for anything but your own selfish ends!" Tenshi exclaimed, and Yukari brought a laser down before her to scare her off.

"Enough of your insults, Celestial. I have grown tired of these games. Have I EVER been against Gensokyo? Did I not put a barrier around this place to keep the Youkai from disappearing? Was it not I who helped forged the Spell Card Rules that keep death to the barest minimum? Was it not I who stood twice against the Lunarian menace and survived? Gensokyo is my home, I love it with every fiber of my being…"

"And you can keep loving it as much as you want, but you'll do so in whatever Hell the Yama will provide to you. We're taking Kokoro back, and you'll never use another one of us as a pawn again." Mamizou firmly said, nudging forward only for Yukari to remind her of Kokoro's presence with a gesture. Then the tanuki stalled, with Yukari stating coldly "…It's really saddening to watch you fight the truth like this. Kokoro will not be let go, there is nothing you can do unless you accept my offer to give up."

"NEVER!" The four said together, and Byakuren proclaimed right after "Kokoro is my daughter! I have been a fool to not treat her better as a mother should…I ignored what was going on and because of this she suffers at your hand!"

"As the Crown Prince, it is my duty to care for one's people as though they are your children…As a father, it is my duty to give as much care and attention to a child as I can without suffocating them. I was also a fool, even more so than Hijiri, for ignoring Kokoro as much as I had. This is not just a rescue mission, but a chance to start making things right for my daughter!"

"And you already know my side of things, you damn witch!" Tenshi proclaimed, her Hisou no Tsurugi brightening enough to dwarf the sun in the sky, and the fog cleared. Yukari shook her head and opened up dozens of glowing gaps around her, remarking with quiet bluntness "Then I'll save you the trouble of dying later, fools."

Once more, Kokoro twitched, but if one were to look inside her consciousness it would be clear why that is. Her mind, represented by her paling body, was wrapped in a chrysalis of Yukari's phantom hands, forced to watch through a hazy screen as those who cared for her were attacked without mercy by Yukari's incredible power.

Kokoro's eyes were blank and she could let out a whimper of "M-M-Mommy…D-D-Daddy…M-M-Mamizou…T-Ten…s-shi…" She couldn't move her arms or legs, her mouth was stiff and useless for little beyond breathing. Her body perfectly mirrored what she could and couldn't do outside, and the atmosphere for her mind was cold and lifeless.

Lowering her head, Kokoro could only offer a single word "S-Sorry…" and slunk into the farthest reaches of depression. As her eyelids sank though, a faint voice echoed into her mind.

" _I know you can hear me…You have to fight back!"_ For a moment a spark of life got Kokoro to raise her head just a bit, murmuring the person's name "T-Tenshi…?" before the phantom hands gripped tighter. With a weak grunt, Kokoro was to sink back into depression before more voices called out.

Byakuren, Miko and Mamizou's words rung true in her mind, leaving no doubt of how strong their desire to fight was. And from this desire, from these strong emotions, Kokoro felt a bit of energy pouring into her. She was able to lift her head up enough to watch as Byakuren and Miko were blasted away by a particular powerful laser, yet even still they pressed on. Byakuren activated her Superhuman spell and charged Yukari, actually managing to land a punch on her face and blowing her to the ground.

Kokoro could not observe the pursuit, but the fierce determination in her mother's eyes was inspiring and got her to raise her voice and say "G-Go get her mom!" with noticeable emotion. But then Byakuren was blown back and Yukari quickly appeared back where she was before using a gap. Kokoro's strength waded again, only brought up by Miko and Tenshi slicing Yukari simultaneously.

"Y-You can win! P-Please, you have to win!" Kokoro exclaimed with more energy and emotion than before. Then the phantom hands loosened just enough for Kokoro to weakly hold a hand out towards the screen, but when the phantom hands had their energy again they forced the hand back in. Kokoro could only offered a light struggle until the hands gripped her tightly.

"Hrrnnngh…They're fighting so hard…All for a fool like me…" Kokoro bemoaned without emotion as she hung her head.

"Hey hey! Kokoro, what happened to all of your energy? You're not going to do anything just being a mopey mopey menreiki!"

Kokoro lifted her head up and murmured "F-Flandre?" and saw the little vampire hovering a fair distance away, arms held behind her back and the cutest smile on her face.

"H-How are you here?" Kokoro inquired, and the vampire replied to that inquisitiveness with a flutter of her wings and a cheery remark of "Silly, this is your mind. I'm just a fragment of your conscious! I guess since you chose me, I should be flattered!"

"But how…?"

"You shouldn't be asking how I got here, you should be asking how you're still stuck in this mess." Flandre said with a finger before her grinning fangs.

"I-I'm not able to escape. And I deserve to be here…I was useless, just another obstacle dragging my friends and family into trouble because I can't make the right decisions." Kokoro slunk her head and Flandre quickly responded "I didn't come here for your pity party Kokoro. You have to fight back, you have the power to get out of this!"

"M-My power…?" Kokoro remembered what she used against Tenshi and Remilia, and with a biting of her lower lip she quivered and said "It's frightening…"

Flandre raised her brows and murmured "Really? You helped me accept my powers more and you want to pull the 'fear' card on me? Why should you fear your power? Because you act differently than you usually do? So maybe you're a little angrier and fiercer…" With a shrug of her shoulder and wave of the arms she continued "But everything else about you is still the same! Just that kind-hearted if not a bit naïve Hata no Kokoro…"

"But I don't want people to think of me as something to fear!" Kokoro exclaimed suddenly, widening her eyes as Flandre paused and let her speak out "I-It's…It's just that I caused two incidents already. I keep trying to say that the things I do are to make up for that, b-but I'm just worried about how they perceive me."

"They don't perceive you as a threat Kokoro! If they did, why would you have so many strange and wonderful friends?!" A new voice called out, this time it was Koishi floating down beside Flandre, flapping her arms at a rate faster than a birds' wings. The satori stated while folding her arms back "You can't let your fears get the best of you! After all, I can already see that you planned to see and make a friend out of me! How can you just give up when you have that to look forward to?"

"Koishi…" Kokoro was surprised by their presence and the warmth that accompanied their otherwise empty form. But with head yet again hung she whispered "It's not right…Someone so blind to this trickery doesn't deserve to see you."

"But you are seeing me. Everyday I'm a part of your memories, just like Flandre, just like your mother and father, just like everyone else!" Koishi floated over and swung her arms up, wanting to hug Kokoro but the phantom hands pushing her back. After a surprised expression Koishi stated "So how can you be useless? How can you be feared? A person with so many friends and all these memories to carry them on couldn't possibly be either of those things!"

"K-Koishi…?" Kokoro said after thinking for a bit, with the satori saying "Yah?" and the menreiki remarked "H-Heh…It's true, you're probably right."

"But this power…I could unleash it, but then what if I can't control it? I-I'm…" Flandre and Koishi approached the menreiki and held hands. With a gentle glow surrounding their bodies that was filled with warmth, they approached the barrier around the phantom hands and pushed through it, the barrier rippling at the seams as the two touched the hands.

"You're someone with a lot of people who can help. We'll all be there…To help you, or to stop you. If they were going to give up on you, they wouldn't be here." The two said in unison, and for the first time in a while Kokoro looked up at the screen and saw that even with their bodies breaking down from the strain of fighting Yukari's overwhelming might…They still stood. Their knees did not give in, their fists and weapons were still raised, and their voices rang out for Kokoro to hear.

She did not need to register each and every detail. Their love was clearer than the light of the morning sun and their warmth just as great. They cared for her, and by god she cared for them just as strongly. With teeth clattering in a frown of disappointment, Kokoro sniffled and said "I-I was about to give up…and let all their efforts go to waste. I was counting on them, b-but they are counting on me too! This isn't just their fight, it's mine…no, all of our fight!"

Some blue fire radiated around Kokoro and pushed against the phantom hands as they squeezed tighter than ever before. With an expression of fiery determination Kokoro exclaimed "Get off of me! My family and friends are waiting!" Koishi and Flandre grinned and said with a fiery in their eyes matching Kokoro's own "Don't worry about that detail! Like you said, this is OUR fight!"

Flandre clenched her hand tightly and some of the phantom hands exploded immediately. Koishi tugged at more of them but her strength was not suited for this. Kokoro watched as more hands lashed out to restrain her, including wrapping around her mouth to silence her cries of rage. But then the phantom hands were ripped apart, tugged from their location by the last bastion of hope that the menreiki needed.

Every person she had seen and cared about, including the likes of Remilia, banded together to tear apart the phantom hands. All these forces working together ripped through these defenses in a matter of seconds, but once their job was done they could only give Kokoro a brief smile before vanishing from her mind. A pale blue light filled the space as Kokoro, with aura flaring with emotion, landed on the ground.

She lifted her head to find the sight of a familiar mask in front of her.

"T-T-The Mask of Hope?" Kokoro couldn't believe what she was seeing, when she held her hand out to touch the mask it floated away, ending up in the cribbed embrace of the last person Kokoro was expecting to see.

It was the person Kokoro had seen in the reflection of in Kuriya…Rather, Yukari's mirror. This beautiful and lithe figure was Kokoro's future self, yet as they lifted their head up they gave a name in the most elegant of voices "Kokoro-no-Okami."

"…Huh?" Kokoro muttered as the person cradled the Mask of Hope under their right arm and said "That is my name, is it not? Though, even as my incarnation, you would not remember that even after I told you."

Kokoro paused, words fleeting her mind and thus unable to reach her lips. The person waved the Mask of Hope out and commented in fascination "To rebuild an entire mask…You have truly found a hope stronger than what you originally before, Hata no Kokoro."

"Wait!" Kokoro's sudden exclamation got the goddess to lift her head up and smile, listening as the menreiki asked "I-I thought you were my future self? That's what the mirror showed…"

"Past, present, and future…What an ethereal thing for a goddess to worry about." Said goddess brushed the side of her hair and continued on to say "But to be specific in this example, the mirror you saw shows people their past. It just so happened to work in Yukari's favor."

"…You know her?" Kokoro inquired with a cautious glare.

"Even to those who existed at the time when faith was at it's strongest, Yukari was right to have her title as the Phantasm of Gensokyo. But, I do not wish to bore you with a history lesson, not when your friends need your help, Hata no Kokoro."

"You can't just show up and leave it at that! Why do you look like me? Why are you here?!" Kokoro swung her hands out begging for answers, yet the reply came swiftly as the goddess lifted her arm and pushed the Mask of Hope out "I look like you because I was the you that existed before now…But to be fairer as an explanation, you should know what an incarnation is, right?"

When the menreiki nodded her head, the goddess continued "As for why I'm here, your abundant hope is to thank. As I said, it is impressive that you were able to construct your own mask after it had been thought lost forever. But of course, if your emotions are strong enough for that purpose…" Suddenly a pike shot forth from the goddess' hand and pierced the Mask of Hope, shattering it to nothing.

Kokoro's devastated expression could barely be described, and yet deep down there was this almost relieved look in her eyes. The goddess smiled and finished "…Then you don't need the mask." The energies of the mask went into her spike, turning it golden with a radiance beyond imagination. Then the pike was given to Kokoro, who took it and held it's raw power without flinching.

"Right now though, your friends need you to channel that hope. Use it, and save them all from their fate." The goddess put her hands back and smiled, and with Kokoro lifting her head up she nodded and proclaimed "I will…! Mommy, daddy, Tenshi, Mamizou…Everyone will make it through this!"

The goddess closed her eyes and said "Thank you then, for not giving up. You have grown to be your own person, Hata no Kokoro, and as much as I'd like to return to this world and share emotion with all who live in it…That wouldn't be fair to those bonds you've built, the lessons your learned…The identity you forged with those two little hands. Continue to grow Kokoro, and never lose that precious sense of self. After all, you have always had plenty of 'Heart'!"

That voice echoed as Kokoro carried herself back to reality with a smile that turned into a determination within seconds…

In the Mayohiga, the fog dispersed away, blanketed by flashes of blue light coming from behind a surprised Yukari. Everyone still standing gazed in awe as the phantoms hands binding Kokoro cracked and then shattered into nothing, a powerful blue flamed aura forming around the menreiki as her eyes were no longer devoid of emotion. A fire burned bright in them that matched her aura, and grasped in her hands were two pikes. The golden pike of Hope and the crimson pike of Rage were her weapons of choice as she stood tall in mid-air and glared down at the turned Yukari.

The Youkai said naught a word as the menreiki grit her teeth and started off with quiet bitterness "You're done playing with people like they're your puppets…!" Then her rage exploded in a powerful echo, her aura spreading out so fiercely until it smashed against the sky of this strange realm. Then, Kokoro exclaimed with a frenzy that goes completely against her nature "YOU WON'T LAY A HAND ON MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY AGAIN. YOU'RE DEAD, YUKARI!"

 _Next Time: One Versus Sixty-Six_


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: NO SIGNAL**

"K-Kokoro…?" Byakuren was fraught with disbelief and concern, as a mother should be in the face of their daughter's sudden outburst of power and rage. Having been pushed back by the release of Kokoro's energy, the priestess weakly began to walk towards her daughter.

It was Miko's hand that swayed her thoughts just a little, getting her to look back as the Crown Prince suggested loudly "I firmly believe we shouldn't get involved. To my understanding, Kokoro might be able to handle Yukari now."

"Might? We can't back off on a 'might'!" Byakuren exclaimed as she slapped Miko's hand off her shoulder, pain ricocheting through her nerves from earlier damage.

"And are you saying we should stand around waiting to be used as tools against Kokoro? The witch would have no qualms, you've seen enough of that by now…" Miko offered words of wisdom with her usual smile, though her face was weak enough that the right of it drooped.

"We should tend to the wounded and get them out of here. Of course, I believe you have another idea in mind there, tanuki?" Miko looked to Mamizou, who rubbed the side of her head and murmured "Forgive me for not believing in the menreiki, but even with this incredible level of power…I still firmly believe I need to use this spear-"

As the tanuki held her hand up the spear was gone, yet from her reaction of surprise it was like she wasn't aware it had been taken. She looked around, noticing something else was gone, and with a bitter scowl stated "That idiot Celestial, what does she think she's doing?"

Having swiped the spear into her right hand, Tenshi hid behind one of the houses closest to the confrontation between Kokoro and Yukari. Her heart was racing from the waves of energy lashing out from her friend, as they were all-too familiar to her, yet this time more powerful than before.

"Kokoro…I had no idea." She gasped out as she peered around the house, waiting for a chance to strike. Yukari glanced in a suspecting manner to the right and then closed her eyes as she faced Kokoro.

"So you want me dead…An expected outcome, fabled incarnation of the goddess. But surely there's more you want out of me than that." Yukari's snide, careless remark got Kokoro to clench her fists so tightly around the pikes that the sound echoed through the land. With a scowl that could scare the oldest of Youkais, Kokoro's response was completely cold.

"I don't want you to just die…I want you to feel fear. I want your eyes pale with agony. You will feel the pain of every person you tried to manipulate for your sick, twisted ends!" Kokoro thrust the Pike of Rage at Yukari's face, heaving up a gale that blew the witch's hair and got her eyes to open. The lifted a finger and pushed the tip of the weapon down, gently stating "You will be very disappointed then…Especially if you think killing me will solve anything. I see that you are just another pawn in **his** game, after all."

Kokoro's eyes widened with seething rage, and Yukari looked up at her before continuing "You cannot defeat me, let alone kill me. I will show you how grave your folly truly is." There was silence for a few seconds as Kokoro lowered her pike and continued to meet Yukari's condescending expression straight on. The witch chuckled quietly. She didn't care. There was no reason to believe she cared about anything.

In an instance, Kokoro thrust both pikes out at Yukari, smashing her with enough force to send a spiraling tunnel of blue flames across the land. Byakuren and Miko barely avoided it as they pulled their followers away from the battleground. Yukari was plowed through a few houses before ultimately getting impaled by four pikes shooting out of the ground, each one a different color for different emotions.

Yukari stayed suspended with a smile on her face as Kokoro took her mass of emotional energy and compressed it into a thick warrior's armor around her body. Then she charged forth, scathing the ground below in blue heat and letting out an impressive, energetic roar. Yukari murmured and called forth a dozen gaps, each of them firing crimson lasers that curved around to try and get the menreiki from multiple directions.

Kokoro spun around, her body becoming a fierce whirling of emotion that sliced through the lasers without restraint, then continued onward until it was inches away from Yukari. For a few seconds of slowed down time from the witch's perspective, she wiggled an arm free from a pike. Even with a hole in the limb, she swung it out and grabbed the top of Kokoro's head as half her body was shredded by the whirlwind.

The menreiki's move was stopped and Yukari was pushed away from the pike, her other arm split in half with nothing but hollowness within. She floated upright and a couple gaps opened, stitching her body back together with weaving strands of flesh. Kokoro gave those gaps a gleam and then stabbed into them with her pikes, only for Yukari to crunch the gaps down to break off the points of the pikes.

"And for the first time, I have broken your impotent 'Hope' and 'Rage'." Yukari's taunt was countered by Kokoro swinging her quickly reforming pikes up and slicing through the witch's body in a spiked "X". Flesh lashed out from the gaps in Yukari's body and pulled her back together as she flew back at high speeds, waiting until she had enough distance to wave a hand out and uses her gaps to sending a weaving cage of lasers and small bullets out at Kokoro.

With a hundred brutal slashes all at once, Kokoro ripped apart both the environment and the projectiles that come her way. Yukari glided around the area and kept spreading all manners of projectiles she could at Kokoro, but the menreiki would continue to rip through them while getting closer and closer to the witch.

Yukari kept a grin on her face as she gently waved her hand across the air, her realm's eerieness burning away around her by the intensity of Kokoro's emotions. When the menreiki was inches away from a firm strike with the Pike of Hope, Yukari widened her eyes and the area around her distorted, colors inverting as everything slowed down. With the extra seconds provided to her, Yukari pulled back into a gap to try and escape Kokoro's attack.

But Kokoro was too fast even as time resumed normally for Yukari, and she was able to stab the witch through the gap and plow her into the ground when she emerged on the other side far away from the current location. Kokoro went into the gap and dragged Yukari's pierced body through the ground, ripping it apart while letting out a furious scream.

Yukari's form was grinded down gruesomely, leaving a thick and dripping wall of flesh on her back as Kokoro threw her up and then tossed both pikes in pursuit. When Yukari was stabbed through by the weapons she was once more suspended in mid-air, and Kokoro turned her helmet into a dragon's face similar to a mask she carried with her. With all rage poured into her mouth she unleashed her emotions upon the witch in a blast of blue flames.

With the blood leaking from her eyes getting drawn back in, Yukari curled her smile into one of mischief and then threw a hand forth to summon an impressive sized gap on a whim. It swallowed the flames, that pure and unbridled rage, and crunched it down like it was but a snack. Yukari then grabbed the pikes and ripped them from her body, throwing them into separate gaps before sitting on her own and looking down at Kokoro.

"Your power is certainly impressive…But ultimately misguided in it's aim. Do I have to show you the truth? Do I need to get you to understand just who our true enemy is and how venomous he is for our sanctity on this world?" Yukari spoke with an offering hand towards the menreiki, but Kokoro just roared and flew straight forth while summoning a couple more pikes.

"So be it…" Yukari swung open a large gap behind her and fully expected the menreiki to follow, bereft of all caution. When she did, she did not emerge in another part of the Mayohiga. She was not in any part of Gensokyo. The skies were dark and cackling with energy that ripped apart the planet, which was trembling at the seems. To the right was a temple that reaches towards the skies, and the darkness seemed to spawn from there.

Before Kokoro inched towards the temple Yukari appeared before her in a gap, immediately earning a thrust from one of her pikes. The witch draws her parasol out and meets the thrust with enough magic around the top to properly defend herself. Energies clashed off and spread destruction across the ground. Even with the collision of power going on, Yukari kept a docile grin and spoke through the noise "This is not the world you are familiar with…Neither inside nor outside."

"GRRRRRAAAAAH!" Kokoro threw the strength of her other pike into the attack, ripping Yukari's parasol in half and nearly stabbing through her again until she teleported right behind the menreiki in a flash and finally delivered a successful counterattack in the form of a backward spin kick. Kokoro was sent hurtling towards the ground and Yukari warped down right as she impacted the grassy ground.

Yukari walked along the ground as though on a stroll, throwing her burning parasol away and replacing it with another. Holding that over her shoulder, she draws a magic seal swiftly with a single finger and uses it to repel Kokoro's charge. The menreiki is thrown back, giving Yukari time to say "On this world, a prophecy was to be fulfilled. One for a savior to be reborn into the world, the power going into a young boy."

She closed her eyes as Kokoro lashed her pikes out to send waves of energy ripping through the ground at Yukari's seal. While it takes a while for the seal to break, Yukari gave a tiny smile and continued "What a foolish choice to make. Man and power never has and never shall blend well, let alone in the hands of a child."

When the seal shattered, Yukari widened her eyes and floated into a sitting position to ride a gap away from Kokoro's rampaging charge, where her body was wrapped in a wreath of roaring flames.

"Of course, those who helped that child couldn't have expected what would come next. That in their efforts, they tied themselves to the struggles of the universe as a whole. For two-thousand years…No…Perhaps much longer than that, Gensokyo was to be wrapped into this very struggle." Yukari continued to speak even as Kokoro rose up and spun her pikes around like a pair of chopper blades, screaming out "I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR LIES!" as the witch flipped away from the attack.

"Lies?" Yukari hung her head and quietly chuckled. Then she warped around the field to dodge the projectiles that slice through the air, absorbing some of them into gaps while expositing "There are no lies to be shared here today. I have been nothing but honest to you and the others this entire time."

"YOU TRICKED ME! YOU TRICKED ALL OF US!" Kokoro pivoted her body around and with eyes widened in madness and tearful rage she rapidly threw multiple pikes out in a tunneling storm that homed in on Yukari, forcing her to move even faster than before to dodge them.

Yet with an abnormal serenity Yukari kept a smile even as her efforts failed to stop half her body from being ripped apart, continuing to speak with a docile tone "Tricked? Again that requires the concept of 'lies' to be a part of what I did. I said my name is Kuriya Kumoya…That is the identity I took up. I said you could stop the war from breaking out, and that is what happened. The word you are better off using is 'manipulated'. But you believe it holds a negative connotation in this instance."

Kokoro goes in for a thrust, but Yukari swerves her head to the right and slips past the pike at the cost of part of her face. Drawing in close, Yukari gently caresses the bottom of Kokoro's burning helmet and left the menreiki frozen as she said "And when I said I wish I could be your friend, that was yet another certain truth." Kokoro's face scrunched up with grit teeth and trembling eyes, but she did not assault the witch until she said "But alas, my care for Gensokyo requires myself to be detached from such simply commodities as friendships and normality…"

Then Kokoro dropped a pike and punched Yukari hard in her smug face, her knuckles digging deep into the cheek bones and shaking the atmosphere until the gauntlet she wears shattered and threw Yukari straight into the ground. She didn't stop moving until two miles in, when she used a gap and spun around, slowing her momentum and delivering a hard kick as she appeared behind Kokoro.

The menreiki's armor cracked as she bounced on the ground twice, but she kept herself up with her pikes stabbed into the ground and looked up at Yukari. As lightning crashed behind, giving her a melancholy shadow, the witch stated "If you wish to be so destructive, then I'll take us to a more fitting location."

Yukari slipped into a gap, expecting and smiling as the menreiki followed. This time the environment changed to something far more devastating and destructive. Reality itself appeared to be tearing apart at the seams, large chunks of the same planet they were on disappearing one after the other. The two were close to a town with mushroom shaped houses that was on the verge of collapsing into a consuming void. A shining palace floated above this town, and a black scaled beast fought against a streak of light that attacked it.

Kokoro panted a little as her head throbbed in pain, Yukari feeling completely fine as she brushed a fan out towards the beast and said past the roars of destruction "Gods are powerful beings…They can become bringers of peace, or harbingers of pure destruction."

While she appeared distracted, Kokoro charged the witch and spun around to slice her with both pikes one after the other. The broad strokes of energy that bathed the sky couldn't even brighten this thick darkness, and Yukari herself stood atop one of the pike blades while twirling her parasol.

"Yet…The one called the Elemental Overlord heralds nothing but destruction in his wake, despite calling himself a being of peace. This event…this destruction of reality…" Kokoro widened her eyes and exclaimed "What are you talking about?! Stop running and fight you damn coward!"

Yukari hops off and sits upon a gap out of range of the pikes, but the menreiki just lashes out more large projectiles at the witch. Yukari glances back and watches as a rogue lightning bolt comes down and wipes Kokoro's attack from existence. With nary a trace of the flames, Kokoro freezes up and looks up to the ripped apart sky as more of those lightning bolts come down.

Without a care, Yukari explained "You are safe so long as I am here. I am trying my hardest not to grab the attention of a few certainly pesky folk, you see. By now you should be able to tell that this is not our world." Kokoro raised her pike with rage in her eyes refusing to die, but the witch quickly replied "Of course, I can also just drop your protection and leave you to die. How about ignoring rage and drawing on rationality for once, Kokoro?"

"I. Don't. CARE!" Kokoro said through grit teeth.

"I know it's difficult to explain, and I'm not going to waste my expositing skills on YOU in particular. The most important thing I want you to understand is how dangerous the Elemental Overlord is. Look at that state of this world as it decays, dragging not just itself but the rest of the universe into non-existence." Yukari spread her arms out and almost seemed to bathe in this warped and unfathomable reality, as the planet was not far away from disappearing from existence.

Kokoro, either out of denial or confusion, shook her head and exclaimed "You're just trying to scare me! This didn't happen!" Yukari glared down bitterly at the menreiki and told her "I. Never. Lie. It did happen, and while it can be argued that the Overlord saved this world and undid the damage to reality…The truth of the matter is that without him, the chaos would have not been drawn to this world. None of this would ever have happened."

"And in due time, that Elemental Overlord will be drawn to our world, and that wave of chaos will wash over Gensokyo and bring about it's destruction. I did not manipulate anyone I have so far to enact some grand scheme of domination. If I wanted to do that, I would need no one else's help. My interests have and always shall be…for the sake of Gensokyo's safety. Kokoro…Would you want something on this grand scale to happen to Gensokyo?"

Kokoro looked around, watching the masses panic as their lives were wiped out mercilessly by the reality rending thunderbolts. Her grip on her pikes loosened as she could feel their pain, their fear, and all their regrets and sadness piling into her at once.

This had to be a part of Yukari's plan, the menreiki rationalized, and with a turn of her body and tears in her eyes she flew at the witch and met her parasol with a hard swing of her pike. The parasol was ripped through along with half of Yukari's body. As she panted a little more, the menreiki said "I don't care if you're trying to save Gensokyo…You used me as a puppet…You harmed my friends and family…You dragged us all into your sick and twisted games!"

Holding the pikes between Yukari's reforming halves to slice them apart again and again, Kokoro said in sheer frustration "Say what you want as much as you want! You may care about the land of Gensokyo, but you don't care about it's PEOPLE!" She then broke out in a flurry of violent slashes to rip a shocked Yukari to ribbons. Kokoro panted afterwards, but even left in such a tattered state the witch reformed again behind the menreiki while opening yet another gap. The planet was just seconds away from disappearing for good at this point…

"You have no right to make that judgment, menreiki." Yukari was slightly irked, then she turned around and slipped into the gap, Kokoro pursuing her without so much as a hint of hesitation. With a swing of a pike, the menreiki stabbed through Yukari and impaled her against the side of a burning building on the other side of the gap.

Kokoro widened her eyes as she was washed over by a wave of high heat. Looking around, she found herself in a city being razed down by roaring flames. The sky was bright orange with a ghastly smog replacing the clouds, and if it was down here the menreiki would be suffocating.

Kokoro looked back at Yukari, who had a firm, beastly grin on her face as she stated "Welcome to the future…On an Earth consumed in the thralls of destruction. This is not our planet, but rather-" Kokoro stabbed her through the back of the mouth and yet she only paused her words, continuing as she pushed through the pike "…The birthplace of the one who will bring ruin not just to Gensokyo, but all worlds as well."

Once she was far enough through the pike, Yukari grabbed it and tugged so hard she ripped it through the side of her mouth then grabbed Kokoro by the chin. With a struggle, Yukari is able to force the menreiki to look to the left while commenting solemnly "I am done trying to use words to convince you. Now…you will see firsthand the one called the Phoenix of Desturction."

A conglomerate of flames rose up with a pained screech, taking the form of a bird with furious crimson eyes and wings that could engulf the city with ease. It's power was immense and frightening, and yet the one calling forth the flames was just a teenage boy in the center of the aviary flames.

"A-A human…?" Kokoro murmured, glancing over at the nod Yukari gave after, which was followed by her explaining "Yes, frightening isn't it? How just one human can obtain a power strong enough to rival the gods. And yet, to save Gensokyo, your power is necessary to stop that monster."

Yukari loosened her grip just enough to let the menreiki look at her fully. Then she said "Stop resisting now…Do you not want to cherish your time with your friends and family? That very thing that fuels your rage, your hope, your determination…Could you stand to watch each and every one of them get snuffed out?" The witch held her hand out, and for a second Kokoro looked to be ready to reach for it.

Then she spread her fingers out and with a blast of energy smashed Yukari through the burning building and caused it to collapse. Backing up, Kokoro bathed a pike in bright flames and exclaimed "We'll stand against this monster ourselves! Just as soon as we get of the one plaguing us right now!"

She then, with a wide swipe, sliced apart a street worth of already decaying buildings to get to Yukari, who was cut in half and left collapsed on the ground. Then with a taunting tone the witch said "And just who is 'we' in this instance?"

"Everyone! Everyone who has supported me are here, along with the 66 masks that inhabit my body! You can't win Yukari, not when the weight of hundreds are supporting me!" The flames around Kokoro's body rise up and creates a mighty titan filled with passionate love. It's arms were lined with hearts and it's eyes filled with a light colored the same as her hair. Eyes widened in a frenzy, Kokoro exclaimed "You're just one person, alone and soon to be forgotten!"

The titan of emotion raised it's hands and ripped the sky open, drawing out dozens of meteors filled with the flames of Kokoro's passion towards Yukari as she reformed. Every meteor falling upon the witch wiped out every trace of debris in the immediate area, leaving little room for her to have gotten out of the way. The titan shrunk down, leaving Kokoro without her armor as she panted quietly.

The flames crackled around her, and she realized that in her rage she might have trapped herself in this desolate future. Before even a sigh or worry could leave her lips, she was grabbed by a familiar phantom hand and smashed through a barrier of time and space, dragging her through multiple walls of reality at light speeds before she is slammed back down in the Mayohiga with enough force to rip apart the ground for a mile around her.

After a few seconds of being buried under this rubble, Kokoro is able to feel her head throbbing as she's wrenched from the ground and suspended in place by the phantom hand. Yukari pulled herself out of a gap completely reformed, yet her expression was almost livid. With a smirk and a beastly fervor she floated over to Kokoro and said "What is the point of an army of hundreds if a single person can topple it like a stack of dominos? And besides…Just where are those you claim support you?"

Yukari gestured to the empty Mayohiga, which was cleared of everyone who had stood against her, and continued "YOU are the one who is alone now. Your emotions mean nothing, they are just a bunch of masks that happen to share your body. Your rage is their rage, their hope feeds you when they want you to feel it. You're just a shell, a tool to be used properly in my hands."

Two more phantom hands approached Kokoro's head as she jerked left and right to break free. Yukari coldly said "It's time to close the curtains on this masquerade. You WILL do what I want, for you are mine for-"

"SHRRRRIIPP!"

Then as sudden as a snap of the fingers, Yukari's chest was pierced through by a spear that could not maintain a singular form. Her eyes widened as violet blood was shaken from the tip of the spear. Barely mustering the strength to look behind her, the witch saw Tenshi behind her with one hand on the spear and another brandished mockingly out.

"S-Sorry, but you're not succeeding in this kidnapping act…Or any others ever again!" With eyes so wide the edges ripped apart as she tried to hold her hand up at the Celestial, Yukari stuttered "Y-You fool…You fool!"

"Blah blah blah, enough of your vague bullshit. This is for everyone you ever dragged into your twisted schemes!" Tenshi gripped the spear in both hands and pushed it further in. The tip distorted harder and ripped apart more of Yukari's body in an instance.

"This is for every human you tricked into Gensokyo!" The spear was thrust in harder, and a larger part of Yukari's body was wiped out while the remainder of it cracked. The witch let out a broken gasp of air.

"And THIS…" With one final thrust guided by the remains of her energy, Tenshi lodged the entire spear into Yukari's body, which distorted to stab through every part of her body save the head, which was slowly crumbling apart from the chin up. Yukari's eyes widened in madness as her grasp on Kokoro fell, and she dropped into Tenshi's arms unconscious. With a tug of the head the Celestial finished calmly "Was for Kokoro, bitch" and made a run for the gap that had opened up in the now quaking realm.

As Tenshi left her behind, a decaying Yukari floated in place and looked towards the sky. One chuckle came out before she said "So…this is what type of game **you** choose to play. Very well…I will remember this, [ ]. Heheheh….HAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH!" As Yukari disintegrated into nothingness, her cackling filled the trembling Mayohiga for hours on end, an echo of a phantasm that refused death to the very end…

 _Next Time: Recourse_


	20. Final Chapter

**Final Chapter: Peace of Mind**

Ripping through the rift out of the Mayohiga, Tenshi tumbled on the grounds of the Myouren Temple, making sure to cuddle Kokoro tightly for protection. "Ugh, ack!" Tenshi grunted until after three rolls she stopped at the foot of the gate. She then opened her eyes and was greeted by both the night sky and the voice of the tanuki.

"…Well how about that, the fool made it back in one piece after all." Mamizou, Byakuren and Miko approached the Celestial as she slowly stood up and held Kokoro out to the priest. Byakuren caressed Kokoro's chest and felt her heart beating as her own was going at a much faster pace. The confirmation she was alive, however, brought relief to her for the first time in a while.

"It was a team effort, but we did it…" Tenshi said with a sly smirk, rubbing the front of her nose after Byakuren took Kokoro in her arms. Mamizou blinked a couple times, an air of surprise around her body as she gave nice grin and a complimenting "So high-ho, the wicked witch is dead. Congrats are in order then."

Miko, leaving Byakuren to hug the menreiki gently as she cried, spoke for her "So Yukari is dead, eh? …Tanuki, since by some miracle of faith we managed to survive, I wanted to ask…"

"How did I acquire that spear?" Mamizou perked her head up, her lens turning white in the moonlight. Miko nodded, and the tanuki kindly replied "Through a combination of records from Akyuu and a little sneakery into the back of the Hakurei's Shrine. To be quite honest, I am surprised the witch knew nothing of this spear."

"She DID seem surprised by it's existence, and judging by her former haughtiness…"

"We need not linger on that now. It did it's job, so I can safely say that for once, a Hakurei did their job correctly." Mamizou let out a sigh and then pulled out her pipe for a quick smoke. Yet before it reached her lips, she hovered it there and after consideration shook the tobacco out and said "I'll have my celebratory smoke later. This old body doesn't have the energy for it now." Her eyes focused on Kokoro as she spoke.

"So how is Kokoro holding up? Celestial, if you wouldn't mind…" Mamizou closed her eyes with a smirk, Tenshi quickly stating "Meh, Kokoro's just too stubborn. She was just knocked out for a bit. She'll probably be up in a minute or so…"

"Well then…I think I'll take my leave. T-There are some things I have to think about going forward…" Mamizou swiveled around yet couldn't take a single step away before Miko said "This is about what the witch said, isn't it?"

"…" Mamizou silently folded her arms until this time, Byakuren spoke up "I think we should discuss this before Kokoro awakens. Do we ACTUALLY believe what the witch said about that 'Phoenix of Destruction'?"

"I personally think she was just full of shit. All she wanted to do was manipulate us with paranoia." Tenshi brushed her arm out without a care, but the others only took minor consideration of her opinion as they moved onward. When there was hesitance to continue the conversation, Tenshi looked at them with widened eyes.

"Wait, you guys can't seriously be considering this?!"

"…You know, ultimately I feel like the witch jumped through way too many hoops to get Kokoro if it was only to keep making her attempts at paranoia become more believable." Mamizou finally remarked.

Byakuren raised her brows with a concerned expression and said "S-So that being could come and destroy us all…" As the priest bit her lower lip, Miko laid a hand on her shoulder for comfort and explained "Just because Yukari said that being is coming, doesn't necessarily mean we'll be destroyed. Think about one thing…"

"What proof do we have that this being is truly evil? What if, ultimately, Yukari was wanting us to deal with someone who would've been a threat to her?" When Miko was done Mamizou picked up the topic by asking "Wouldn't you say be optimistic about things is just as bad as succumbing to paranoia?"

"Perhaps, tanuki, but that's not what I'm getting at. Ultimately, I think we should still keep a cautious eye out should this being come…But if we instantly treat him as an enemy, we might just be facilitating our own demise."

"Hmmm…I think that's a fair point. What say you Celestial…Hijiri?" Mamizou looked to them for answers, and Tenshi was the first to respond "If that person happens to come here and cause trouble, then we'll just kick his ass."

"I-I want to be fair to the person, on the off-chance you ARE right that he isn't a bad guy. But we all need to promise to keep Kokoro out of whatever fighting that might happen. I can't imagine how painful this whole thing was for her." Byakuren then let out a gasp as Kokoro started fidgeting a little.

"Well, I suppose you'll hear it from her mouth soon enough. I'll be off then…I think I ought to find the vampire and 'persuade' her to hear the points of conversation we just had." Mamizou then leapt over the wall and vanished into the moonlit forest. Kokoro mumbled as her eyes creaked open, and Byakuren let her stand on solid ground while keeping a hand to her back for stability.

It didn't take long for Kokoro to look around and see those she was familiar with standing around her, and the comfort of home was directly to the right of her. She didn't know whether it was relief or confusion that was nipping at her heels the most, but the fact that there was not even a hair of Yukari to be found filled the menreiki with comfort.

"Mom, dad…Tenshi?" The confusion came upon from the last memory Kokoro had of the Celestial. Tenshi smiled at her and said "In the flesh. Hey, good job battering that witch around, it weakened her enough for me to get her with that spear."

Kokoro didn't focus on that matter for now and swung her head around, noticing the grounds were pretty empty. "W-Where is everyone else…?!" She freaked a little until Byakuren laid hands on her shoulders and comfortably explained "Shou is tending to the others in the temple. The vampire and her friends went back home."

"And Mamizou…?" Kokoro asked with particular innocence in her voice. Miko replied "She went to take care of other affairs, now that the witch had been slain." The menreiki's saddened mumble could not be missed.

"T-Thank you though. I have to thank everyone for going through all that trouble to save me." Kokoro humbly gripped her skirt and blushed, but Tenshi proclaimed without thought "Ha, when you say everyone you better be referring to yourself as well Kokoro! You were showing that witch a thing or two, weren't ya?!"

"O-Oh…ummm…" Kokoro glanced aside, finding it impossible to describe the feelings and sights that occurred during that fight. How COULD she describe how that witch took her through time and space, showing her so much destruction and pain. It was not something that would be forced out of her though, as Byakuren gave the Celestial a glare that forced an apology of "O-Or you know…you don't have to say anything!"

Tenshi folded arms behind her head and smirked "It's just really nice to have you back Kokoro." For a moment, the menreiki leaped at the Celestial and hugged her tightly. The thanks shared between them did not need to be expressed in words beyond that. This affection brought a smile to Miko and Byakuren's faces, and they let them enjoy the moment for a good while.

When Kokoro let go, she immediately widened her eyes and muttered a name in a melancholic tone "Koishi…" Tenshi let out an "Eh…?" of confusion while Miko snappily mentioned "Didn't the vampire or the tanuki mention something about a green-haired girl telling them about what was going on?"

"That's the same person who I was trying to help for Kokoro…" Byakuren mentioned, and Tenshi commented "Oh yeah, that oddball that Kokoro wanted to help out back when I was uhh…manipulating her. I thought that Youkai didn't have the ability to do things on their own. That's what you told me anyways."

As Tenshi's gaze went on Kokoro, the menreiki could only wonder without answer as to how and why Koishi was able to go to the Scarlet Devil Mansion and ask for their help. The same logic applied to Mamizou. Only a rustle of bushes nearby lifted Kokoro's head up and broke her train of thoughts as a familiar hat and ruffled green hair wandered into the darkness of the forest.

With eyes widened, Kokoro rushed past the gates and went towards the forest. Byakuren stood up ready to run, but Miko said "Is that really necessary, Hijiri? …She's safe now, we'll deal with the rest of this aftermath later" and she stopped.

The Crown Prince had a smile on her face while Byakuren asked "I just don't get what the deal is with this Koishi person." Miko replied "Isn't it said that everyone has their own Guardian Angel?"

Kokoro leaves friends and family behind for the time being, pushing aside branches and leaves while panting tiredly. Her heart raced as she got closer and closer towards Koishi. "Huff…HUFF!" Her mind was a blender of words and feelings, she didn't know what to say, she couldn't peg down a single emotion to feel.

By the time she had cornered Koishi under a circle of focused moonlight, the menreiki had her hands on her knees and looked ready to collapse. The satori twirled around on one foot and giggled "Ohohoh, you caught up to me! I'm glad you made it back safely from your kidnapping!"

After calming down enough to lift her head up high, Kokoro stared at Koishi for a few seconds. Their emotions mended together in their stares. Not wanting things to be complex, Kokoro cracked a tiny smile and raised her hand out to the confused satori.

"I want to do it right this time…ok? Does that sound good to you, friend?"

 **PHANTASM MASQUERADE…THE END…..?**

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"… **Did you really think…it was over yet…?"**

… **Epilogue: Prelude to The Fall**

In the realm of the Mayohiga, Ran Yakumo came upon the spot where Yukari had fallen. The ground had been ripped apart in a distortion and the air was volatile. Yet the kitsune braved the dangers to pluck a tattered parasol from the ground. Ran cuddled the parasol tightly, her fangs bared so tightly the enamel broke down. She lifted her bloodied face with pupils shrunk and irises glowing bright.

"I-I will make them all pay for this Lady Yukari…There will be nothing left to bury after I am done with them!" Her rage, powerful enough to shake the Mayohiga, was swiftly silenced by a chop to the back and a familiar voice teasing her "Come now Ran, don't do the job of the Phoenix of Destruction for him."

The kitsune's skin goes pale as she spun around, looking into the eyes of her master, supposedly returned to the world in her prime. Yukari smiled and held another parasol over her shoulder as Ran's voice wracked her with inquiries "H-How can this be?! That spear killed you…I saw that happened!"

"Are you questioning the miracle of rebirth when you should instead be celebrating it's splendor?" Yukari spun and whacked Ran on the head with the parasol, proving for certain this was not some mere illusion. Ran could only let out tired gasps up until the point her knees gave in and she dropped to bow. Yukari smiled and said "Though to say the spear was…ineffective is a grave misunderstanding. I for sure 'died', and that's very annoying honestly."

"We can enact vengeance on those who wronged you!" Ran exclaimed, but Yukari shook her head and commented "Unnecessary. This actually works in my favor, even if it does set me back a little. **He** played his hand quite well in trying to have me eliminated. Now **he's** starting to understand that **his** whole world is starting to crumble, and that will motivate **him** to send the Phoenix of Destruction after me. Though, as if I did not already have sufficient bait in line to lure them here in the first place."

Yukari swung her arm out and proclaimed "Ran!" "Yes Lady Yukari!" "…Let Yuyuko know that I am alright. Tell her I'd like to have a dinner with her tonight. For now though, I'm going to use this time to let my 'Plan B' finally know what's going on."

"Plan B…?" Ran was puzzled, but Yukari just opened a gap and slipped into it without an answer. As she traveled between the realms, Yukari grit her teeth and her body felt hollow.

" _You certainly hurt this body a lot…[ ]…But I will not give up this fight. I have fought this against you for how many years now? You know just as well as anyone. You wish to break my home, slaughter the people I protect…Fine. I will simply retaliate by breaking your precious Blank. You CANNOT defeat me."_

Meanwhile, at the Hakurei Shrine, after being absent for basically the entire story because they have their own lives to deal with, we find Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame on the porch lambasting about recent events.

"I don't get it Reimu…Those tengus and underground Youkai were so adamant about fighting and yet we go to deal with the matter and they're all just napping around the base of the mountain."

"They were probably just drunk off their asses." Reimu replied snappily, and Marisa tapped her chin while commenting "I don't know. Something ain't sitting right with me here."

"It's never wrong to have suspicions, Kirisame." Yukari suddenly poked out between the two, Marisa nearly jumping off the porch in surprise while Reimu gave the Youkai an aloof gaze and asked "Oh, look who decided to get out of her bed for once."

"Now Reimu, is that the right way to treat a guest? I would at least expect some sake or perhaps a ripe plum." Yukari leaned her arms atop another gap and smiled playfully. Reimu pointed back and said "You know where to find them, I'm not your maid. Now what do you want?"

"Oh, I just happened to die recently, so I was just thinking about the fragility of life." Yukari spoke with graceful nonchalance, the ordinary magician telling her with a wag of the finger "Now hold on a sec there…"

"Kirisame maybe you can voice your thoughts later. Lemme get to the point…As I was thinking about life, I was reminded of a particular event I witnessed a long time ago. Now I wish to share you this tale…"

Yukari closed her eyes as Reimu said "Whatever, not like we're doing anything else tonight." Then the Youkai's lips creased into a smile and she transitioned to a more storyteller tone "2000 years into the past, there was a battle between two forces. The Dark King…and the Elemental Overlord…"

 **Now…this has come to an end, hasn't it?**

 **PHANTASM MASQUERADE. THE END.**

 _To be continued in "Clash of the Elements Part 4 EX Story 8: The Mythical Land, Gensoko"…_

* * *

 **Author's Note:  
**

And thus, after a little over three years, we have reached the end of the journey for Hata no Kokoro and Tenshi Hinawani. That's not to say the story of Gensokyo is over with from my perspective, the "to be continued" should be enough of a hint on that end. Here's the deal though I want to bring up.

I'm not expecting all of you who have read the Masquerade Trilogy to go into my Clash of the Elements series. Ultimately, while Part 4 EX, where Touhou will come up again, is pretty self-contained all things considered, you're still going to have to go through 7 other stories for the main crux of the Touhou story to make sense. So ultimately, that's why I made sure to end the story of Kokoro and Tenshi on a conclusive note, so that way you who have read it will be satisfied and not have to trudge through more stuff in order to see their tale through.

That's not to say those two won't show up in the Touhou story for Clash of the Elements, but think of their appearance as a bonus to their development, not a necessary piece of it. In the end, the CotE stuff is to explore more of what's going on with the rest of Gensokyo. To further elaborate on what Yukari's talking about, why she's so adamant on stopping this Phoenix of Destruction instead of making sure he never comes around. So if that aspect intrigues you, then go check out Clash of the Elements Part 4 EX and soon enough I'll be at the Touhou story.

For now though, I'm pretty good with writing Touhou stuff. I'm not going to bother trying to say I'll revive the one-shots like I did at the end of Empathetic Masquerade. Clearly there's no spark there for me to go back to that. Maybe I'll come up with something, maybe not, but I'd rather focus my efforts on one story for now.

So while there might not have been as many reviews and such as there were in the beginning, I do appreciate each and every one of you who have stuck around from the beginning, or perhaps have come in at the end! I did ultimately enjoy writing about a series I really genuinely like, so sharing what I've written with others was pretty important to me.

So until whenever, enjoy yourselves, have a wonderful day...And perhaps on a joking note, don't get kidnapped by a gap Youkai.


End file.
